Are India ready to win Test series away from home?
India presently lead the ICC Test Rankings by a comfortable margin of 10 rating points over second-placed England. With the Men in Blue all set to win the ongoing series against England, this lead is only going to extend further.
Even the most dramatic of comebacks from the visitors to level the series 2-2 will barely dent India’s lead at the top of the rankings. In the coming months, Virat Kohli's team is set to host Bangladesh & Australia, and neither are expected to halt India’s winning juggernaut at home.
The present No.1 ranked Test team are on a run of 16 Test matches without defeat, and it is a very realistic possibility that the unbeaten run could last until the end of the series against the Kangaroos. If the unbeaten run does last that long, it will stand at 23, which will make it the fourth longest unbeaten streak ever, in Tests.
The possibility of this happening is quite realistic. England are on the ropes, Bangladesh were outstanding against England at home, but are unlikely to push Virat and his boys on India’s own soil, while Australia’s record of just 1 Test win in nearly a decade in Asia, says all there is to say about which way that series is likely to go.
Whether unbeaten or not, at the very least, it would be quite rational to say that Alastair Cook is very likely to taste his first series defeat against India as skipper soon and India should win the one-off Test against Bangladesh and the series against Australia, without too much of a fuss.
Also read: Virat Kohli: A recap of his Test captaincy tenure and his playing XI's
This will ensure that the world's no.1 Test team will finish the home season with a substantial lead at the top of the ICC Test Rankings, especially as two of the series’ will be against their closest rivals in the rankings - England and Australia.
However, if India are to continue their reign on the top of the Test rankings beyond the home season, they will need to win away, or at the very least not lose.
It’s important to keep in mind that India have won series’ away from home during this run to the top of the ICC Test Rankings. The run started with an away series win in Sri Lanka, and India emphatically beat WI in the Caribbean recently. So one mustn’t get carried away in thinking that India’s rise to no.1 has been based only on home wins.
However, what is equally important is to understand that the really challenging away tours to England, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand still await the Men in Blue.
India will need to improve on what can only be described as a very dismal recent record on these tours, and improve substantially if they are to extend their reign as the top Test team.
So are India ready to do that?
There is really no short answer to this question. Traditionally two things have hampered India on these away tours – 1) The opening pair 2) The seam bowling being no match for the opposition.
The importance of a strong start on these tours cannot be overstated, and India have struggled to find an opening pair that would provide them with that start. Murali Vijay has generally looked okay, but Shikhar Dhawan, his partner for the bulk of the recent past, hasn't exactly impressed with his ability to see off the new ball. Even Vijay tends to go through hot and cold phases with his form, and his present form is evidence of that.
Solid top order
Then there is KL Rahul, who can only be described as an enigma. Rahul either scores big or gets out for a low, usually a single digit, score. There seems to be no in-between for him. However, what cannot be denied is that he does seem to have the technique to handle the swinging new ball better than Shikhar Dhawan, even though he may not yet have the numbers to show for that ability.
It would be a fair assessment to say that Vijay and Rahul are likely to be India’s openers in the long run. While both tend to blow hot and cold at times, and are not quite a world class pair yet, most will agree that at the very least this pair would potentially be an upgrade on the Vijay-Dhawan opening pair.
Gautam Gambhir has likely played his last Test for India and while Parthiv Patel did shine on his comeback, he still has a lot to do to get ahead of Vijay and Rahul in the pecking order for the opening slot.
So in KL Rahul and Vijay, India have a potentially improved opening partnership, which may not come good in all the games, but when it does, it will give India a position of strength to build on.
Shikhar Dhawan and perhaps even Parthiv Patel will be keeping Vijay and Rahul on their toes, and competition for places is a good thing. It’s fair to say that India have never had a pool of 4 (5 if you include Gambhir) to pick from in recent past.
Steady middle order
The middle order of Pujara, Kohli and Rahane picks itself, and the batting top order looks quite solid for once. Couple this with the emergence of Ashwin as a true all-rounder, and India seem to potentially have the batting in place. There is, of course, the option to open with Vijay and Rahul and play Parthiv Patel as a keeper at 6 if extra batsmen are required, with Ashwin coming at 7.
It would be harsh on Saha, but it’s important to keep in mind that Parthiv Patel has the prior experience of playing in England and Australia that Saha doesn’t. At the very least, the emergence of Parthiv Patel will present the captain and coach the right kind of selection issues and options.
The other real issue that has proven to be a problem on away tours is the bowling. Indian captains of the past have often had to make do with bowling attacks that have struggled to pick up the 20 wickets required to win a Test.
Ashwin’s transformation
Looking ahead, Virat Kohli and coach Kumble will be delighted with the improvements that Ashwin has made. Ashwin is now picking up wickets with deliveries where the pitch is taken out of the equation.
The dismissal of Moeen Ali in the 3rd Test vs England is a great example of this. Ashwin deceived Moeen Ali in flight, causing Ali to lob a simple catch to mid-on. The pitch didn’t matter, what mattered was Ashwin’s guile in the flight of the delivery, and that ball, other things remaining same, would have gotten Ali’s wicket anywhere in the world on even the greenest of pitches.
Additionally, there is evidence from India’s tour to WI, where Ashwin was at his magical best and finished the leading wicket-taker, that Ashwin is starting to deliver outside the subcontinent as well.
Outside the subcontinent, Jadeja will serve as an adequate backup to Ashwin, and if called upon, will hold one end tight, and let the seam bowlers attack from the other end.
Potent pacers
Speaking of seam bowlers it’s clear that Mohammed Shami's rich form off late, has given Indian fans much reason to be hopeful. He was the 2nd highest wicket taker in India’s series against WI, very effective against the Kiwis, and has outperformed the famed English seam duo of Anderson and Broad in the present series. There is no doubt he will be the spearhead of the seam attack and key to India’s success when the away tours start.
India’s next best seam bowler is probably Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and the conditions in the away tours will help his style of bowling. Bhuvi has made immense strides in his development over the past year or so, including adding a few extra yards of pace.
While Umesh has done enough to hold onto his place in the side so far, Bhuvi, one feels, will eventually overtake him as Shami’s partner. He was really unlucky to get injured after his match-winning fifer against the visiting Kiwis in the 2nd Test and just has not been able to get back in yet.
Also read: The emergence of India's pace bowling arsenal
Umesh has done enough to ensure that he will be part of the seam attack, and he does provide the skipper a plan B, with his bowling speed. However, Yadav will have to improve substantially on his previous performances.
The fourth bowler will be Ishant Sharma, largely because there is no one else. While his past record is quite disappointing, one must keep in mind that in the past year or so, Ishant has shown signs of being a new and improved bowler.
Shami, Bhuvneshwar and Ashwin will have to deliver most of the wickets. Whatever Umesh and Ishant provide will be a bonus. That being said having at least 3 reliable bowlers is definitely an improvement on having no real bowlers to depend on, during previous tours.
There is a clear need to expand the seam bowler pool, but for now, the trio of Ashwin, Shami and Bhuvi seems to be an improvement on the bowling attacks of tours past.
There are, no doubt, some positives in sight, and things seem to be slowly falling in place for Virat Kohli to launch a successful away campaign but there is still work to be done, and questions to be answered.
However, there is enough reason to be hopeful that India's reign as the undisputed no.1 Test side in the world, could last beyond the home season.