How must India go about their last innings?

The Indian team faces a daunting task of batting out the final day of the test match at the Adelaide oval. With the lead of 363 runs, there is no denying that there are only two results possible! One is an Australian victory and the other is a draw. The best scenario for India will obviously be a draw. Getting away with a draw in this game could turn around India's fortunes down under. Let us see what India needs to do to keep the series level when they take the field at Brisbane.

A final day track is not the easiest to bat on. If Nathan Lyon's turning balls were a sign of things to come, the Indians must expect a lot of square turners from the offie. His 5 wicket haul will give him the confidence to bowl with that much more freedom. So, as for the Indians, Nathan Lyon must be the man to watch out for.

One thing that was missing in the Indian team's approach was the aggressive intent against Lyon. With the exception of Murali Vijay, who was willing to get down the track and take the attack to the bowler, every other batsman was planted to their crease. So, the batsmen need to make the adjustment to be more positive against Lyon and not allow him to settle down. The batsmen will become a sitting duck if they don't make this adjustment.

If there is some uneven bounce, Mitchell Johnson will become a great threat. His bouncers will cause lots of problems, but it is the full-length ball that he follows up the bouncer with, that will cause the maximum damage. So, the batsmen should not be worrying too much about his short balls and instead focus on keeping out the fuller length balls. To their credit, the batsmen handled Johnson well in the first innings.

If the Indians start playing for time, the Aussies will be all over them, with their attacking fields. It might seem silly to say this, but imagine, the batsmen play for time and get out in the process, the scoreboard would not have ticked a lot and  two or three quick wickets, all of a sudden,there will be panic!

This would not be an ideal situation for the Indian team and so, the batsmen must ensure that they convert  every single opportunity into runs. “Forget playing for a draw, forget losing” should be the mantra for the team!