Ahead of an international series in Australia, their players traditionally target the opposition verbally.

Nathan Lyon once said before the Ashes that they were looking to end some England careers. He and others have called the opposition “scared’’ and worse. Ahead of the 2014 tour, Virat Kohli was called a “spoilt brat.” Four years later, Ricky Ponting said that Kohli gets rattled when you get under his skin, suggesting that’s what Australia should do.

Which is why Pat Cummins’s statement that Australia have a 50-50 chance of winning the five-Test series in Australia beginning in November is interesting from a team that usually places their own chances at 100-0. Equally interesting is that India, who played ‘English’ cricket for long, now lean towards the Australian way of “hard but fair.”

Triumph of pragmatism

This cultural change has been evolving for a while. From a team that laid great stress on looking attractive, India have transitioned to one prepared to win looking “ugly.” It is the triumph of pragmatism over romanticism.

When England introduced cricket to India, they also brought along the peculiar habit of glorifying failure — something we were made aware of through our schooldays. Tennyson’s Charge of the Light Brigade — about a disastrous episode in the Crimean War (Into The Valley of Death /Rode the Six Hundred) was required reading (and reciting). Then there was the lesson on Robert Scott, who arrived at the South Pole only to realise the race to be the first had been won by Roald Amundsen a month earlier. Scott is patron-saint of the also rans.

He and his men were killed on the return trip partly because they had loaded their sledges with such must-have South Pole accessories as Russian and Polish novels, five volumes of a study of the Napoleonic wars and 35 pounds of rocks containing Paleozoic fossil leaves. Charming, but impractical.

The notion of romantic failure seeped into cricket. Vinoo Mankad’s 72 and 184 and five wickets at Lord’s caused the Test to be named after him, but England won by eight wickets.  Subhash Gupte took nine wickets in an innings against the West Indies, but India lost the Test by 203 runs.  Pataudi’s  148 at Leeds and innings of 75 and 85 at Melbourne in the same year were heroic efforts, but India lost both these Tests.

Change of attitude

It is difficult to pinpoint when the Indian attitude began to change. Perhaps it was at Headingley in 2002 when skipper Sourav Ganguly decided to bat first on winning the toss in bowler-friendly conditions. Most Indian captains would have fielded. India ran up a 600-plus score and won. Or perhaps the turning point had come in Kolkata the previous year when India won after following-on against Australia.

The idea of winning as against the idea of playing well and leaving the result to a higher power certainly took root, if it hadn’t earlier, when Virat Kohli led in his first Test in Australia in 2014. When India began the final day’s play in Adelaide, they needed 364 to win in 98 overs. The Old India would have been happy with a draw, but “at no point was I thinking of a draw,” said Kohli. When he fell for 141, his second century of the match, India needed just 60 with four wickets in hand and just under 17 overs to go. They lost that series 0-2, but a template had been set, a mindset established. India haven’t lost a series to Australia since then.

Team before self

More significantly, Kohli said, “I wasn’t thinking about milestones. I was only trying to calculate whom I can go after, when to accelerate. The milestone was out of the question, and that’s one thing I am pleased about: that I have been able to do that in Test cricket at last. That was something new for me, and that felt good.” The captain had showed the importance of placing the team above the individual, something new in Indian cricket.

With Bangladesh on our shores for a two-Test engagement, Australia might not be on top of everybody’s mind. But this is not about specific series, but a general attitude that India have evolved that should stand them in good stead wherever and whomever they play.

Australia opener Usman Khawaja heaped praise on legendary India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin. File
| Photo Credit: Getty Images

Australia opener Usman Khawaja heaped praise on legendary India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and said that the 37-year-old always has a plan and is very strategic.

In the upcoming days, Australia will take on India in the prestigious Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Ashwin has stunning numbers against Australia, he played 22 Test matches and 42 innings against the Aussies, in which he picked up 114 wickets at an economy rate of 2.70.

While playing 10 Test matches on Aussie soil, Ashwin bagged 39 wickets at an economy rate of 2.93. The most awaited Border-Gavaskar series between India and Australia will begin on November 22, with the first Test at Perth.

Over the years, India has regained an upper hand over Australia in the series. India has won its previous four series against Australia in a row, including two wins in Australia in the 2018-19 and 2020-21 seasons. This has made India a much more successful side in the series, with India winning the BGT 10 times and Australia winning it five times, with their last series win coming in during the 2014-15 season.

Also Read: “Virat is an Australian in thoughts and action…”: Steve Smith

Their last series win in India was in 2004-05. Speaking to Star Sports, Khawaja lauded Ashwin for always staying a step ahead in the game. The Aussie batter further added that he respects the Indian spinner’s “cricketing brain”.”Ravi is a very good bowler. He is very strategic, he always has a plan.

He always tries to figure it out. He is trying to get ahead of the game, one step ahead of the game, which I respect. I respect his cricketing brain. It’s always cool to play against, yeah I look forward to the challenge,” Khawaja said.

Ashwin made his Test debut in 2011 against the West Indies. Following that, he has 100 long-format matches and 189 innings, in which he has scalped 516 wickets at an economy rate of 2.81. The second Test, scheduled for December 6 to 10 at Adelaide Oval, will feature the exciting day-night format under the stadium’s lights.

After that, fans will turn their attention to The Gabba in Brisbane for the third Test, which will be held from December 14 to 18. The customary Boxing Day Test, set for December 26 to 30 at Melbourne’s storied Melbourne Cricket Ground, will bring the series to its penultimate stage. The fifth and final Test, to take place at the Sydney Cricket Ground from January 3 to 7, will serve as the series climax, promising a dramatic conclusion to an exciting contest.

Ricky Ponting talks about the Indian batting strength ahead of the upcoming Border Gavaskar Trophy. File
| Photo Credit: The Hindu

Ahead of the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy, former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting showered praise on the Indian batters and said that they adapt to the overseas batting conditions very well.

The Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) series between India and Australia will begin on November 22, with the first Test at Perth.

Over the years, India has regained an upper hand over Australia in the series. India has won its previous four series against Australia in a row, including two wins in Australia in the 2018-19 and 2020-21 seasons.

This has made India a much more successful side in the series, with India winning the BGT ten times and Australia winning it five times, with their last series win coming in during the 2014-15 season. Their last series win in India was in 2004-05.

Also Read: Nathan Lyon seeks English spinner Hartley’s ‘inputs’ to tame Yashasvi Jaiswal

Speaking to Sky Sports Cricket, Ponting said that the Indian batters are not daunted by the Gabba or the Optus Oval like earlier times. “They won a game at the Gabba, which just doesn’t happen. I think their batsmen adapt to overseas batting conditions very well. I don’t think they’re as daunted by the Gabba or the Optus Oval, as they maybe once were. Maybe it is a selection thing, or they just don’t fear the big stage anymore,” Ponting said.

He added that the Indian Premier League (IPL) is like a World Cup for the Indians. “For the last 10 years being around the IPL, I’ve noticed that a lot of the young guys [don’t fear the big stage anymore] as the IPL is high-pressure, it is like a World Cup for them. Their batsmen are all very aggressive stroke-making players. They are not scared of failing,” he added.

Ponting showered praise on the Indian bowling attack and said that they have great depth in their fast-bowling lineup. “Their fast-bowling depth is great. The leadership in the last 6-7 years has been strong, going back to Kohli’s start of captaincy, played a big role in turning the cricket around and Dravid has continued the same in the recent four years. The influence of someone like that [Kohli] around a team would be great and they’ve got star players,” he further added.

The second Test, scheduled for December 6 to 10 at Adelaide Oval, will feature the exciting day-night format under the stadium’s lights. After that, fans will turn their attention to The Gabba in Brisbane for the third Test, which will be held from December 14 to 18.

The customary Boxing Day Test, set for December 26 to 30 at Melbourne’s storied Melbourne Cricket Ground, will bring the series to its penultimate stage. The fifth and final Test, at the Sydney Cricket Ground from January 3 to 7, will serve as the series climax, promising a dramatic conclusion to an exciting contest.