Australia deserve credit for the way they managed to save the third Test match. Not many believed, at the end of Day 4, that the visitors would save the match at Ranchi. With the absence of Mitchell Starc, or for that matter any left-arm fast bowler, there was always this issue of how much rough would be created outside the off-stump. In the end, however, the Aussie right-hand batsmen managed it all very well.
To that end, Peter Handscomb and Shaun Marsh showed exceptional resilience and excellent technique on Day 5. This will be a huge confidence booster for both, which will stand them in good stead going into the deciding Test of the series, which begins in Dharamsala on Saturday. Still, I would say Australia would probably have come away from Ranchi feeling slightly disappointed. With a score of 450 on the board, they should have put a lot more pressure on India. It would not have been that easy for the Aussies had India won the toss.
For India, Cheteshwar Pujara has grown in stature as the series has progressed. He has played two absolutely amazing knocks, and I would rate his 90 in Bengaluru even higher than the 200 he got in Ranchi. It confirms my belief about his value to this team at No. 3 and would request all to stop the discussion on his strike-rate for a while.
The series is nicely set up and that’s how an India-Australia series should be. Once again the curator is the point of discussion. It will not be easy for him to keep the grass on this pitch and the right picture will be seen only on the morning of the Test match as it is still coldish in Himachal Pradesh, being right up in the north. I will be looking forward to seeing how much the fast bowlers get purchase from this Dharamsala track, on which a Test will be played for the first time. The good thing is that the curator has spoken about bounce, which will take the game forward. Bounce is good for spin as well as for batting.
The next big question is about Virat Kohli. Yes, this is an important match, but he must play only if he is fully fit. It’s a tough call, and one that only he can take. There is important cricket ahead, too, especially the Champions Trophy coming up after the IPL. Also for his performance to be at the peak, he needs to be fit as he has set high standards for himself.
I don’t see Australia going in with another fast bowler. There would be a feeling that with all the grass there could be enough moisture to hold the top surface but over a period of five days, the spinners will come into the game a lot more. For India, the call on going in with five bowlers will depend very much on Kohli’s fitness. (Gameplan)
