India vs Australia: 1st Test, Day 4 - The way forward for India

Day 3 of the first Test match between India and Australia at Chennai was undoubtedly MS Dhoni‘s day. His maiden Test double century has put India in a comfortable position; comfortable, but not safe. India stands 135 runs ahead of what Australia managed in their first innings. This lead is comforting but not a match-winning one. Given that the pitch has started to crumble, batting on this surface will be difficult on Day 4. Despite the fact that Australian spinners did not get sufficient purchase off the pitch, batting on Day 5 will be extremely difficult and it is very likely that the Indian batting line-up might implode.

A safe way forward for India to win the match is to continue doing what they did in the last session today. Bhuvneshwar Kumar has shown the capability to stick around. Ishant Sharma is another man Indian team can rely upon to occupy the crease for a substantial period of time. Though the general Australian ploy against Sharma is to bowl him a bouncer, not too different from a bodyline delivery, which catches him in an awkward position and Sharma ends up giving a dolly to the surrounding fielders.

With Dhoni’s at the crease, the ideal way will be to play out the initial overs and keep the scoreboard ticking. As and when Kumar gains confidence to face the pace of Pattinson and Starc, Dhoni can not only try to score quickly but also rotate the strike more frequently. There should be no hurry to score the runs and India should try to battle out the entire morning session. If India plays out the first session, the lead would be invariably pushed past the 200-run mark.

With a 200 plus lead in the kitty, Indian spinners will look even more threatening. India will not only rely on the local boy Ashwin and CSK superstar Ravinder Jadeja, but also Harbhajan’s experience will come handy in such conditions. India will stand in a position to either secure an innings victory or chase a small target.

Bundling Australia out cheaply in their 2nd innings shouldn’t be difficult given that only three batsmen namely – Clarke, Warner and Watson have experienced a typical fourth and fifth day Indian pitch. On the contrary, if India is cleaned up early tomorrow morning and Australia manages to hold fort till stumps, in all likelihood India will end up chasing a total in excess of 100 runs. Even a meagre target of a 150 in a couple of sessions may turn the tables against India. The reason behind it is the inexperience of Indian batting line-up in such situations.

Thus, the key to victory lies in the way India bats tomorrow.