2017 Border-Gavaskar Trophy: 5 reasons why Australia should be wary of India
The last series of the grand Indian home season is almost upon us. From skipper Virat Kohli to coach Anil Kumble, the team’s focus has shifted firmly to the 4-match mantelpiece against Steven Smith’s Australian team. With New Zealand whitewashed, England trounced and Bangladesh brushed aside, India are high on confidence and seem to be unstoppable at the moment.
As many as three modern-day venues in Pune, Ranchi and Dharamsala foray into Test cricket during the 2017 edition of the prestigious trophy named after two of the most venerated players in the cricket legacies of both countries.
| Test Number | Dates | Venue |
| 1 | February 23-27 | Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune |
| 2 | March 4-8 | M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru |
| 3 | March 16-20 | JSCA International Stadium Complex, Ranchi |
| 4 | March 25-29 | HPCA Stadium, Dharamsala |
Ahead of the series, let us take a look at five reasons why Australia should be extremely wary of India.
#5 Indian seamers are not there to just fill the numbers anymore
From the turn of the millennium till the end of the 2000s decade, Zaheer Khan was the only potent pace weapon for India in home conditions. Since the stalwart’s departure, there was a sudden void of quality seam options who could be relied upon to contribute at various stages of the innings.
However, since Kohli took over the captaincy, there has been a strong emphasis on implanting confidence and faith on the likes of Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. All four seamers have found different ways to add enormous value to the team’s cause even on docile pitches and thus raising hopes of forming a versatile pace attack. With the Australian batsmen known to be relentless against wayward fast bowlers, they will be aware of the need to hit the ground running.