India vs Australia: Spotlight on India’s misfiring batting line-up ahead of crucial Ahmedabad Test

With the final Test of the Border-Gavaskar series around the corner, the spotlight is set to focus on India’s misfiring batting line-up.

The hosts were bowled out twice in just over two days of Test cricket, suffering a heavy 9-wicket loss against Australia at the Holkar Stadium in Indore.

While India’s bowling attack has been near perfect, their batting line-up has failed to live up to expectations. Only captain Rohit Sharma has been able to deal with the Australian spin-attack, with the lower order coming to their rescue time and again.

Rohit has lead the team from the front, scoring 207 runs in five innings, and is the top-scorer of the series. In fact, Rohit is the only batter to have scored a century in the first three matches of the BGT series. Right behind Rohit, is India’s number 9 batter Axar Patel, who has scored 185 runs in four innings.

TOP AND MIDDLE ORDER STRUGGLES

India’s batting problems start at the very top with the struggling KL Rahul being replaced by Shubman Gill as Rohit’s opening partner for India. But just like his predecessor, Gill failed to make any significant contributions with the bat, and almost threw away his wicket in the second innings in Indore, being cleaned up by Nathan Lyon. Neither of them looked comfortable facing the Aussie spin attack, with Rahul scoring 38 runs in three innings and Gill hitting 26 runs in two innings in Indore.

Meanwhile, star batters like Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara have also failed to produce the numbers expected of them. Kohli has scored 111 runs in five innings, at an average of 22.20 and a top-score of 44. Meanwhile, Pujara, who hit a half-century in Indore, has also managed to score just 98 runs in five innings.

The problem continues as we make our way down the order. Shreyas Iyer, who came in for Suryakumar Yadav after the first Test, has scored 42 runs in four innings, at an average of 10.50. India’s wicket-keeping batter KS Bharat, who has been handed the tall task of replacing the free-flowing Rishabh Pant, has contributed with just 57 runs in five innings.

Due to the disappointing performances of India’s top and middle order, their lower order has been called into action more often than the team management would’ve liked, with Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin baling them out on several occasions.

And their contributions with the bat are evident, with Axar, Jadeja and Ashwin (371) scoring more runs than Gill, Kohli, Pujara, Iyer and Bharat (334) combined in the ongoing Test series.

IS INDIA PLAYING TO ITS STRENGTHS?

India captain Rohit Sharma said that as the home team, they will play to their strengths, which he pointed to be their batting and spin bowling. But looking at their recent record, Indian batters have proved to be quite inept while facing spinners on raging turners like the Indore pitch.

Of the three defeats that India has succumbed to at home in the last decade, two have come on turning tracks, and both times against a Steve Smith-led Australian side. The reason for this could be India’s shift to playing more limited overs cricket and preparing fewer and fewer spin-friendly pitches for domestic competitions. While this approach has helped the Indian batters perform better in overseas conditions, it has reduced their ability to tackle a top-quality bowling attack on spin-friendly surfaces.

BGT AND WTC FINAL ON THE LINE IN AHMEDABAD

India’s batting line-up will have to step up and take responsibility if India wants to win the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and qualify for the World Test Championship in June. With any changes in the batting order seeming unlikely, players like KS Bharat, Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill will have to make the most of their opportunities.

Meanwhile, stalwarts like Kohli and Pujara will also be looking end the series on a high. Kohli has been found wanting against Australia’s spin trio, which includes two players who made their Test debuts in this series itself. Kohli gave away his wicket to Todd Murphy on his debut in Nagpur, and has fallen prey to the 22-year-old on three occasions in this series. He was also dismissed by debutant Matthew Kuhnemann in Delhi, who went on to get the better of him once again in Indore.

Similarly, Pujara will be aiming for a much-improved performance in Ahmedabad after looking like the only comfortable Indian batter in Indore. Pujara scored 59 runs in India’s second innings as they were bowled out for 163, eventually losing the match by 9 wickets. With no more Test matches to be played till the ODI World Cup, Pujara will be fully focused on making sure India make it to the final of the WTC.

With Australia riding high on confidence after qualifying for the WTC final, stand-in skipper Smith will be aiming to end the series with a win. If India’s batters can pull up their socks in Ahmedabad, and with their bowling attack led by Ashwin and Jadeja in blistering form, there is no reason why they cannot beat the Baggy Greens and keep the hopes of lifting the WTC mace for the first time alive.