5 unanswered questions before the Bengaluru test
When Australia landed in India for the four-match Test series, nobody had given them a chance to even win a single Test match. But the result at Pune not only shocked the Indian fans but also stunned the cricketing fraternity.
Having enjoyed an unmatched home dominance in the last 18 months under Virat Kohli, the Indians endured an embarrassing 333-run defeat on an extremely spin-friendly condition. In fact, there have been many talking points from O’Keefe’s stunning 12 wickets that sent the home side packing, to the nature of the pitch that was offered at the MCA stadium.
Now the action shifts to Bengaluru and there are plenty of unanswered questions from the composition of the teams to the form and consistency of the players from both the teams. Let’s take a look at the key questions ahead of the clash.
#5 Can the Indian batting unit survive if Virat Kohli falters in Bengaluru?
Virat Kohli’s form with the bat has been one of the main reasons for India’s 18 matches unbeaten run. From scoring double hundreds at will to helping the team to secure a nervy draw against England at Rajkot – the Indian skipper’s contributions were priceless. However, in Pune, Kohli got out for a duck in the first innings and managed just 13 runs in the second when chasing a humongous target of 441.
Looking at the Pune fiasco, it is clearly evident that the Aussie bowlers have put seeds of self-doubts in the minds of the Indian batsmen including Virat Kohli and it could be dangerous for the team to rely on their skipper like they have done throughout the home season so far.
There is no denying that Kohli’s resilience and his stupendous form would surely be tested once again against the mighty Aussies but if he fails for the second time, the rest of the batting unit must stamp their authority, which they haven’t done so far at the expense of their skipper’s failure.