A fruitless fourth Test on a docile Ahmedabad wicket could offer Australia a glimpse of how to handle India’s attack ahead of their World Test Championship title bout.
Australia are expecting significantly different conditions at the Oval on Wednesday to the ones that greeted them in India earlier this year.
But Pat Cummins’ men are insistent they can take some lessons from the 2-1 series loss.
While the first three matches of that series were played on big turners and decided in two-and-a-half days, the fourth match was on a slow wicket that ensured a draw.
Usman Khawaja and Cameron Green both posted centuries in that Test, while Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne each scored above 50 in the second innings.
Australia also scored at a slower rate, able to take a more conservative approach in their slowest-scoring Test of the tour.
The chief threats
Crucially, it also gave Australia a recent look at Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja on a flatter pitch, in a series where India’s spinners took 40 of 51 wickets in the first three matches.
India are weighing up whether to play both spinners at the Oval, or leave out Ashwin and play a fourth quick in Shardul Thakur.
“You definitely learn from how you played them over there,” Labuschagne said.
“We obviously played on a pretty nice wicket the last Test. If there is a bit of spin and bounce (we can look at that).
“There will probably be a bit more bounce here in England than there was in India. That’s just something to factor in, how they’re going to bowl.
“Ashwin’s tactics might change a little bit, Jadeja’s might too. It’s just adjusting to those on the fly out there on what they’re going to try and do.”
While the ensuing Ashes remain the most-hyped series in 16 years, Australia have firmly set their eyes on the Test Championship decider.
After training at Kent in recent days, the team will move to the Oval on Monday and Tuesday.
‘You never know what happens’
Josh Hazlewood is back close to bowling at 100 per cent, with selectors set to weigh up whether to play him or Scott Boland as the third seamer against India.
Australia are adamant they can match it with India, despite losing the past four Border-Gavaskar Trophies to them.
The team will stress the importance of not panicking, after conceding a poor session in both the first and second Test in March cost them the most recent series.
“Obviously it was disappointing not to win the series,” Labuchagne said.
“But I thought we competed very well. We had a couple of bad sessions that probably cost us potentially winning the series. That session in (the second Test) in Delhi.
“We were very close. That changes the whole dynamic. You go 1-1, and we go one up potentially in (the third Test at) Indore.
“And you never know what happens with that last game if they needed a victory.”
-AAP
