Quest for Greatness: Five Tests and the Pursuit of a First Since 1971

New Delhi: A five-Test series in cricket is always a formidable challenge. The visiting team must navigate through unfamiliar conditions, face off against a determined and well-prepared home team, and endure the overwhelming support of the home fans. The weight of history can also loom large over the touring side, adding to the pressure of an already demanding series.

India have played 15 series of five-or-more Tests. Their only win came on the 1971 tour of the West Indies, also famous for Sunil Gavaskar’s grand show on debut. On the 1977-78 visit of Australia – the hosts hit by players migrating to Kerry Packer’s World Series – India fought back from 0-2 by winning the next two Tests but lost the decider.

The last time India played a five-Test series in Australia, in 1991-92, it was a forgettable experience, a 4-0 rout. As the sub-continent giants go into their first five-Test series in Australia in 24 years, the build-up doesn’t augur well. The team is in some disarray after the 0-3 humiliation at home against New Zealand. What was anticipated to be a victory parade heading into a Border-Gavaskar Trophy contest that was being built up as rivalling the Ashes has effectively turned into a journey into the unknown.

Defeats can quickly lead to fatigue, collective and individual, and the loss to New Zealand has already pushed transition talk to the fore.

So, are India ready for a five-Test fight in Australia? Any side will be under pressure without two of their top three batters for the series opener. The absence of skipper Rohit Sharma (paternity leave) and Shubman Gill (thumb fracture) has upset India’s plans to field a settled unit for the first Test at Perth starting on Friday.

The scheduling is unlike the previous tours. The build-up has been limited this time to an intra-squad warmup game at the WACA Stadium. India trained at the Optus Stadium on Tuesday but starting on a bouncy pitch without so much as a proper warm-up tie for the Test batters means it could get relentless straightaway.

India will feel the absence of Rohit and Gill because they have a good back-foot game ideal for the surface. Also, Rohit’s absence means he will not be at hand for the pre-series planning that could prove so crucial.

KL Rahul not backing up his versatility of being able to bat anywhere in the order due to poor form and Virat Kohli facing the late-career questions even an all-time great can’t escape, add to the doubts.

The ultra-aggressive batting tactics that flopped in the home series has also left fans and experts wondering who would do the thankless but invaluable holding job that Cheteshwar Pujara did to help India win back-to-back series in 2018-19 and 2020-21. Batters influenced by ‘Bazball’ methods against New Zealand must quickly find an anchor.

WTC pressure

With success in Test cricket increasingly being measured by the team’s chances to qualify for the World Test Championship (WTC) final, India will be feeling the pressure following the New Zealand defeat as it seems to have all but dashed their hopes. The 3-0 whitewash has left India needing a 4-0 win to secure a berth in the WTC title clash.

The India A series that preceded this tour didn’t prove beneficial in terms of top-order batting. Abhimanyu Easwaran and Rituraj Gaikwad, besides Rahul in the second unofficial Test against Australia A, all failed to impress. Only young keeper-batter Dhruv Jurel with fifties in both innings, in his first game ever in Australia and on a tough MCG pitch, has given the team management a batting option.

The schedule chalked out by Cricket Australia this time offers no respite. After the fast and bouncy Perth, the second Test will be a pink-ball affair at Adelaide where the ball will swing considerably and for long periods; the third will be at the Gabba. It was the scene of India’s series-clinching heroics the last time but it is still an Aussie fortress. The visitors will hope they not only produce strong performances but their fast bowlers come through playing three Tests in 26 days unscathed with two to go.

In a T20-influenced world of increasingly fewer Tests, India have warmed up to playing five Tests with the last three series in England, losing two and one ending in a draw. In 2014 as well as in 2018, India won early, but lost momentum to go down 1-3 and 1-4 respectively. In 2021, they led 2-1 but returned home without playing the final Test amid the Covid pandemic, and then lost the last Test played the next summer.

A five-Test series in England is less taxing on the pacers due to the milder weather and a more seam-friendly Dukes ball. In Australia, the key is to get early wickets. If not, it will be tough for the seamers as the Kookaburra ball doesn’t offer much assistance once it gets old. Fielding in the harsh summer too can take a toll on flagging confidence.

One positive India carry into the first Test is that they won’t be intimidated even at the prospect of facing the fast bowling of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood.

Even if things don’t go entirely their way, winning one of the first three Tests will give hope as the series moves to the MCG and SCG, provided R Ashwin, 38 and coming off a poor home series, and the other slow bowlers shape up.

Stay informed with the...