Australia vs India 2018-19: 5 players who can help India win the Test series
Before the start of the year, India had a good chance of winning a Test series in South Africa, England and Australia. But, all the current lot managed to do was to give a tough fight against South Africa and England at their own backyard.
While the scoreline (2-1 against South Africa and 4-1 against England) tell you a different story, the team played way better than what it suggests. They outplayed both the teams on numerous occasions and failed to seize the advantage during crucial junctures which led to their downfall.
With the Test series against Australia starting in a day's time, there cannot a better chance for Virat Kohli and his men to win India's first-ever Test series down under. The Aussies don't have two of the most dependable batsmen in their ranks and on the other hand, the Indian team has a lot of proven match-winners in their team who can help them go all the way in the summer.
Let us take a look at five players who can help India beat Australia in the upcoming four-match Test series.
KL Rahul
It was in this country where KL Rahul showed everyone what he is capable of when he made his debut four years ago as he scored a stroke-filled century in just his second Test against a good Aussie bowling unit. Since then, he has gone to cement his place in the Indian Test squad with some consistent performances and then suddenly, his form dipped and now, he is hanging on to his place in the Test side by a thread and a failure could see him sit out of the XI when Prithvi Shaw returns.
This is something that will be at the back of his mind when he comes out to bat and Rahul, who has a lot of potential to do well across all three formats, should not let the pressure get the better of him during the Test series. He is very crucial for India's chances and a good series with the bat for him means that India are off to a good start, something which will take the pressure off the middle-order. He was India's hero the last time both teams played each other as he scored consecutive fifties and gave India the upper hand on almost every single occasion he came out to bat.
Rahul has the temperament and the skill to do well in these conditions and if he manages to play his game freely without thinking about his place in the side, the Indian fans will witness the rise of Rahul over the next one month.