Indore promises runs, but do Australia have the strength to push India?

After three-day routs in the first two Test matches of the Border Gavaskar Trophy, the third match at Indore’s Holkar Stadium starting March 1 has garnered a different type of buzz and this is not because, following a gap of nine days between matches, those tracking this series have run out of things to discuss.

The tourists are 0-2 down after heavy defeats in Nagpur and Delhi, and will be without Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and David Warner. While they cannot reclaim the trophy which they haven’t held since 2017, a depleted Australian unit might be somewhat buoyed by what they’ve seen in Indore this week.

Early looks at the Holkar Stadium surface suggest this track will offer more bounce for the seamers and aid the batsmen as well, particularly on day one, which is where the toss will be the most crucial it has all series. Any possible advantage that came Cummins’ way in Nagpur and Delhi was quickly negated by Australia’s poor application at the crease, but the Indore pitch looks like it will aid the batsmen. Also, with word from the venue that the ground staff have not been selective in watering the pitch as was the case for the first two Tests, instead generously showering the 22-yard strip on Monday and Tuesday, we can infer that this match will go into the fifth day.

This could come as some sort of solace for players on both sides, in particular the batsmen who are struggling but also the fast men waiting to make an impression in a series in which the spinners have accounted for 52 wickets. For India, the likes of KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli have searched for noticeable scores while in the Australian camp, every single batsman would prefer batting in conditions where there are some runs to be made.

That said, life will not entirely become easier for the Australians at the Holkar Stadium, for it is at this ground that their tormentor R Ashwin has claimed 18 wickets at 12.50 apiece in two Tests.

Whether India drop a spinner for a third pace bowler remains to be seen, but it is not out of the realm of imagination. And if the Indore surface will be better for batting, then it appears Rahul will get another opportunity to win back a bit of faith. Pujara’s 100^th Test match saw him follow up a duck with a spirited 31* in the chase, but with time running out for India’s experienced one-down batsman post the current WTC cycle, he needs to stay relevant as well. And as for Kohli, scores of 29, 45, 23, 11, 11, 20, 1, 19*, 24, 1, 12, 44 and 20 in his last seven Test matches does not look good either. Things could change for all three struggling batsmen if Indore plays as many expect it to.

Australia are set to welcome back the pair of Mitchell Starc and Cameron Green for the first time in the series. Despite considerable scar tissue and swelling in his release finger, Starc has stated that he will play through the pain. Without Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, it could be that Starc and Green, who bowls very handy seam-up stuff, shape as Australia’s only two fast bowlers for this Test. However, if the Australian management feels that just two spinners are required, Scott Boland would slot back into the team.

With Warner back in Australia, it looks likely that Travis Head will continue to play as a makeshift opener. Head admitted that being dropped for the Nagpur Test was a surprise, but followed up by saying how pleased he is to still be in the mix of things. Head was promoted to open in Australia’s second innings in Delhi and rattled away to 43 off as many balls before he was dismissed early on day three, but such was the impact of his innings that Rohit Sharma admitted he had to shift his team to defensive mode.

The statistics for this low-scoring series reveal some truths for the Australian team, beyond the concern of the 0-2 scoreline. Axar Patel, who bats at No 9 for India, has more runs (158) than Labuschagne (119) and Peter Handscomb (109) and almost as many as Smith (71) and Usman Khawaja (93) have made together. Alex Carey, in his first tour to India, has been out sweeping or reverse-sweeping in all four innings for an average of 13.25. And Matt Renshaw, who was a surprise pick for Nagpur before having to bat in Delhi as Warner’s concussion substitute, has managed four runs in three innings.

With the ball, Ravindra Jadeja (17) and Ashwin (14) have inflicted more damage, expectedly, than the rookie offspinner Todd Murphy (10 at 19.90) and Nathan Lyon (eight at 30.25).

Australia have surrendered the Border Gavaskar Trophy to India, but if the conditions in Indore are more batting-friendly, then this could be the match in which the visiting team challenge India the most.