Australia vs India 2018-19: 5 players who are crucial for Australia's chances in the Test Series
The Kangaroos are that one team in world cricket which every country has always looked upon for some fierce and action-packed competition. However, the Dons of cricket have been rocked to the core this year.
The ever-so-proud Australian cricket has been jolted with probably the biggest setback in their 141-Year-long cricketing history. The embarrassment of the Newlands sandpaper-gate resulted in a shake-up in the Cricket Board, team management, the team itself, and a series of all-time low performances in the limited-overs arena.
Already in a quest to find a settled batting order after a transition period which has been longer than expected, the Aussies are left without 2 of the best modern-day batsmen for their first major Home Test series since the South African Tour in March 2018. The Aussies, without Steven Smith and David Warner, look like a team which was never a dominant force in world cricket.
With an all-important 4-match Test Series against the mighty Indians coming up in December, the Australians look down on morale. Even though they have got world class bowlers in their side, the batting looks Inexperienced, weak and fragile, to say the least. Barring a couple of batsmen, the rest look just like fillers till Smith and Warner come back.
The Indians, on the other hand, look a confident bunch with the world's best batsman as their captain at their disposal and a plethora of batsmen hungry to score runs. And this is what gives India their best chance to lift a Test series trophy Down Under, especially with a pace battery coming off of a sensational English Tour.
Here are 4 of the most important players that need to stand up for the Australian team to continue their dominance against the Indians at home.
#1 Shaun Marsh
The older of the Marsh Brothers, Shaun, is the most experienced batsman in the current Aussie batting line-up. Having been around at the international stage for about a decade now, a huge responsibility rests on the shoulders of this southpaw to become the man in crisis for his team.
Shaun has been in some good form lately, having scored a fluent century against South Africa in the recently-concluded ODI series in Australia. He also has a good experience of playing against India at home and the captain will definitely look upon him to battle for his team out on the field.