3 reasons why the 3rd IND vs AUS Test moved out of Dharamshala will benefit India
Team India commenced the Border Gavaskar Trophy with a comprehensive victory against Australia in the first Test in Nagpur. India won by an inning and 132 runs to wrap the game in just three days and took a clinical 1-0 lead in the four-Test series.
India will gain enough confidence from their victory in Nagpur that will add to their chances in the race to the World Test Championship final at the Oval in June.
Rohit Sharma and his men did not allow the external noise around the alleged pitch doctoring to get into their heads. They stuck to their mantra of playing quality Test cricket and it was evident from the way they dominated the terms from the word go.
The BCCI recently announced that the Himachal Cricket Association Stadium (HPCA) stadium, which was the venue for the third Test match from March 1 to March 5, was not ready to host the five-day fixture.
The change in the venue of the third Test from Dharamshala to Indore will certainly demand a change in plans and strategies for both teams.
We will discuss three important points to understand how the shift in venue is advantageous for the hosts.
#1 India's dominance at the Holkar Stadium across formats
India has a great track record at the Holkar Cricket Stadium. It took a stupendous innings by South African batter Rilee Rossouw (100* in T20I) to end India's winning streak of 10 international games in 16 years. But they remain unbeaten in Tests and ODIs at this particular venue.
India played their first Test against New Zealand in October 2016. Ravichandran Ashwin's 13-wicket haul shot New Zealand out to 299 and 153 in a comprehensive 321-run victory.
Fortress breached?
India’s unbeaten run comes to an end at the #HolkarStadium in #Indore after 16 years, 2 Tests, 5 ODIs and 3 T20Is.
The defeat by 49 runs in this final T20I is also @ProteasMenCSA’s biggest win over @BCCI in terms of runs.
#INDvSA #SAvIND #INDvsSA #SAvsIND
Three years later, they crushed Bangladesh by an inning and 130 runs ahead of the historic day-night Test. The interesting fact is India has never been bowled out in Indore. Their scores in the three innings at Holkar read - 557/5d, 216/3d, and 493/6d.
#2 Australia's advantage at Dharamshala nullified
The pitch and conditions at Dharamshala would have offered something for the Australian pace bowlers to stamp their authority in the series.
The pitch at the venue would have assisted a significant amount of pace and bounce for the quicks. The surface also allows the movement of the ball with extra swing coming into play in the initial overs.
With figures of 2/94, this is Pat Cummins fifth-most expensive spell of bowling.
Of his top five most expensive hauls, India accounts for four of them.
4/117 vs ENG, 2017
4/106 vs IND, 2017
0/101 vs IND, 2019
3/94 vs IND, 2017
2/94 vs IND, 2021
#AUSvIND
The last time Australia captain Pat Cummins played in Dharamshala, he picked up four wickets in the game. Cummins could have been lethal in such conditions had the game gone ahead as planned.
The wicket at the Holkar Stadium is said to be a batting paradise and that might defy the Australian pacers' possible threat in Dharamshala.
#3 Virat Kohli can find his mojo in Indore
Virat Kohli is still looking for his rhythm in the red-ball format even though he has made a remarkable comeback in white-ball cricket.
In his last 21 Test matches, the senior Indian batter has scored 929 runs at an average of 25.80, including six fifty-plus scores. He managed only 12 runs in the Nagpur Test before nicking behind the stumps off Todd Murphy.
List of all 200 plus scores of VIRAT KOHLI in Test cricket:
• 200 vs WI
• 211 vs NZ
• 235 vs ENG
• 204 vs BAN
• 213 vs SL
• 243 vs SL
• 254* vs SA
@imVkohli has 7 double centuries, the most double centuries in Test cricket as a captain.
#ViratKohli
https://t.co/7GFmdUdosY
Although Kohli will return to his home ground at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi for the second Test, Indore is where the former captain scored his first double-century in India. He can rekindle the memories of his 365-run stand along with Ajinkya Rahane seven years back.