Australia men’s cricket team coach Justin Langer believes that their bowlers would perform better against India in the upcoming Test series than they did during the 2018-19 Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
India had beaten Australia 2-1 to register their first Test series win on Australian soil. The Aussie bowling attack comprising Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon and Pat Cummins failed to bowl India out all three times the tourists batted in the last two Tests, allowing them to rack up 443 and 622 in two out of those three innings.
They had also failed to grab the initiative in the first Test in Adelaide, letting India to 250 in the first innings after having reduced them to 86/5 at one stage.
“If I go back to that time (2018-19), we lost a toss at the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground) after winning the Perth Test match — lost the toss on possibly the flattest wicket I’ve seen in Test cricket … and they (India) bowled for nearly two days. And then we had to back it up and play at the SCG (Sydney Cricket Ground)the next Test match on a pretty flat wicket as well,” Langer was quoted as saying by The Age newspaper.
Langer, however, said that his bowling attack is wiser by two years and they will pose a challenge to the Indians this time around.
“Not making excuses, but it was tough going back then. India were on top of their game, they deserved to beat us for the first time in their history. But our guys are two years better and a lot of the Indians are the same, more experienced. I can’t wait to see them go. Can’t wait,” he said.
India’s tour of Australia will kick off with the ODI series from November 27. It will be followed by the three-match T20I series from December 4 before the Virat Kohli-led team begins the title defence of the Border-Gavaskar trophy with the pink-ball Test in Adelaide from December 17.
The first Test at Adelaide will be India’s first day-nigt Test outside home soil. It will also be skipper Virat Kohli’s only appearance in all-whites in Australia this time as he would return to India on a paternity leave after the opener.
Kohli had already informed the BCCI about his wish to return to India to unite with his wife Anushka Sharma. They are expecting their first child in January next year.
The day-night Test will be followed by Tests at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (December 26), the Sydney Cricket Ground (January 7) and the Gabba (January 15).