CHENNAI: It's been a week since Rohit Sharma and his team was handed a 3-0 drubbing in Mumbai by New Zealand. The wounds are still fresh but India cannot sulk. The team management had a meeting with the top brass of the BCCI to review and hit the reset button before the Australia series begins on November 22. India do not have any tour games and will take part in a match simulation programme with the India A team from November 15-17 in Perth.
The first batch of players and support staff left on Sunday and the rest are expected to leave for Perth today. As things stand, there are more questions than answers, some of which could be answered when head coach Gautam Gambhir addresses the media on Monday in Mumbai. For now, a look at what lies ahead for the coach and the team Down Under...
Delivering first punch
Yes, India recovered from a 36 all out last time but miracles don't happen regularly. For India to have a good series — they need a 4-0 win at least to qualify for the WTC final — they have to start well in Perth. It's going to be a real test as captain Rohit is set to miss the game for the birth of his child.
Issue against pace
As much as the memes are doing rounds about Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon turning Perth into a rank turner after India's performance against New Zealand spinners, there is a real concern about how they are going to handle pace. At least two of the top six are expected to be playing in Australia for the first time in Tests and the two senior-most batters are not in good form. If things don't go well, it could be a long tour for the team.
Middle-order conundrum
With KL Rahul expected to open in the absence of Rohit in Perth, it leaves a void in the middle-order. At this point, Dhruv Jurel seems the likely candidate to play as a batter but with Sarfaraz Khan and Nitish K Reddy in the mix, it opens all sorts of headaches for the coach and captain, which is likely to be Jasprit Bumrah, in Perth. One wrong selection could affect the team balance.
Feeling the heat
Two months ago, Gambhir was the man with the midas touch. He, along with T20 World Cup-winning captain Rohit, was expected to get going right away. An ODI series loss in Sri Lanka and a historic home series loss after, not all seems rosy about the head coach who was appointed after his IPL success. How this tour goes could well decide the direction in which his tenure goes.
Pace battery
In 2020-21, one of the key factors behind India's success was their pace attack. Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav led from front but whoever came in—Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur, T Natarajan, Navdeep Saini—they all chipped in. This time, a lot will depend on how much the likes of Akash Deep, Harshit Rana and Prasidh Krishna can help out Bumrah and an out-of-rhythm Siraj. Do not be surprised if Mukesh Kumar gets added to the squad at some point during the tour.