Australia skipper Steve Smith believes a Test series victory over an all-conquering India side on their home soil could provide the kind of memories that would inspire the country’s cricketers for generations to come.
Top-ranked India are on a brilliant run, unbeaten in 19 Tests over a 16-month period with South Africa, New Zealand, England and Bangladesh all vanquished at home, while trips to Sri Lanka and West Indies also culminated in victories.
By contrast, Smith’s side were thrashed 3-0 in Sri Lanka and lost the first two Tests of a three-match home series against South Africa before wholesale changes led to a consolation win in Adelaide and the new charges went on to sweep aside Pakistan.
Smith believes Australia have learned from those defeats and are now a much-improved side.
“You probably learn more from losing games than you do from winning, so I guess the last year has been a bit of a rollercoaster ride in regards to results,” Smith told reporters in Mumbai on Tuesday, a week ahead of the first Test.
“I think this team has come a long way,” he added as he looked forward to the four-match series. Obviously, this is going to be a very difficult tour and I am excited by that challenge. All of the guys are really excited about what’s to come in the next six weeks. It’s a great challenge to play here in India.
“We know that if we can pull something off and win a series here, we will look back in 10-20 years and it will be some of the best times of our lives. It’s a great occasion to play here in India.”
Aussies aim to crack the Virat Kohli code
Australia are desperate to create doubt in Virat Kohli’s masterful mind during the four-Test series that starts in India next Thursday, but wickets will be far more effective than words.
Steve Smith’s side have no shortage of plans to ponder as they seek to snap a nine-Test losing streak in Asia.
Coach Darren Lehmann recently admitted if they’re going to improve Australia’s terrible record in India, which stands at one Test series win in the past 47 years, then everything is going to have to go right.
Topping the list is curbing Kohli’s immense influence. It proved impossible during the most recent Test series between the two sides, when Kohli tallied a record-breaking 692 runs in Australia.
One school of thought is the fiery 28-year-old, who has a history of on-field spats with Australians, is prone to losing his cool.
Smith suggested earlier this summer he’d be keen to make his counterpart “a little bit angry and ruffle his feathers”.
He was a touch more diplomatic in this week’s arrival press conference, noting if some teammates “want to get into a battle verbally, and that gets the best out of them then go for it”.
Glenn Maxwell, who boasts Kohli as one of his seven Test wickets, will be giving the superstar the silent treatment if called upon to play his first Test since 2014.
“I’m probably not going to say a thing to him,” Maxwell said in Mumbai.
The Australia captain was confident he had the attack to trouble an Indian batting line-up.
“I am confident, I think we have got a good mix of bowlers,” Smith said. “It’s important here to make sure you are bowling consistent areas and letting the wicket do the work, and getting the natural variation out of the wickets.
“I think reverse-swing is going to be incredibly important in this series as well. Our two big quicks — Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc — are very good reverse-swing bowlers.
“They relish the challenge of playing against the best players in the world, and India have some incredibly good batters. So they are excited by the challenges of playing here as well.”
The world’s second-ranked team have had a training camp in Dubai to prepare for the tour and Australia will also play a three-day practice match against an India A side from Thursday, before they head to Pune for the opening Test from Feb 23.
