India’s quest for a historic third consecutive Test series triumph in Australia will hinge on the ability of their aging batting lineup to withstand the formidable pace attack of the hosts, according to former Australia coach John Buchanan.
Buchanan, who guided Australia to unprecedented success in the early 2000s, believes that both India and Australia possess experienced players, but that will not diminish the intensity of the competition. He highlighted Australia’s potent bowling lineup, led by Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Nathan Lyon, as a major challenge for India’s batters.
“India’s top order, including Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and possibly Shreyas Iyer, must perform exceptionally well to establish substantial totals,” Buchanan said. “Then, the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and Mohammed Siraj will come into their own.”
Buchanan downplayed the psychological impact of India’s previous series wins in Australia, as key players from those victories, such as Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane, are unlikely to feature in the upcoming tour.
“The previous series that India won were important, but those games have passed, and the current players are at a stage of their careers where they all want to perform,” he said. “Both sides have aging players, with Rohit Sharma at 37, Kohli at 35, and Ravichandran Ashwin at 37. Australia also has only a few players under 30.”
Buchanan emphasized the importance of India batting for extended periods to tire out Australia’s bowling attack. He cited Pujara’s marathon innings in the 2018-19 and 2020-21 series as examples of how India can succeed in Australia.
“Australia plays well at home because they understand their conditions,” Buchanan said. “But if India can bat for long periods, it will test the physical capacities of the Australian bowling attack and potentially give them a key to winning the series.”
Buchanan also acknowledged the challenges that traveling teams face in preparing for tours due to the lack of extended match practice. He believes that India’s two-day pink-ball match against the Prime Minister’s XI will be insufficient preparation for the day-night Test in Adelaide.
“Australia is favorite going into the series,” Buchanan said. “It’s very difficult to tour other countries these days, and traveling teams no longer have that preparation in a country to adjust to the conditions.”
