Australia is a tough place to tour for any cricketing nation. It becomes even more difficult for players from the subcontinent to find to negate the bounce and pace that is witnessed Down Under. It is to be noted that India are the only team barring England, West Indies, and South Africa to win multiple series in Australia.
The first Test match of the five-game series is set to be held in Perth. Of all the centres in Australia, the playing conditions in Perth are the most difficult for any batter to adapt to. WACA stadium was known to be the ‘fastest pitch’ in the whole world till it was in play before its final match in 2017.
Team India has played just one game at the new Perth Stadium in 2018 under the captaincy of Virat Kohli and lost by 146 runs. Pace bowlers dominated the entire game as Mohammed Shami picked his career-best figures in Test cricket of 6/56. It will be a huge test character for many batters who are set to bat in Perth for the first time.
Why do Indian batters struggle in Perth?
One of the biggest reasons behind the struggle is the high amount of bounce that Perth affords to the bowlers. At the old WACA stadium, there used to be extravagant pace on the wicket and the bounce on the pitch was much higher than any other centre in the world. Sachin Tendulkar employed a lot of uppercuts during the 2008 Test match which India went on to win.
Perth has been a venue where the ball tends to carry to the wicketkeeper at his head height even after passing the batter. In the 1970s and 1980s, West Indian pacers used their height to target the Australian batters with their short-pitch bowling. Indian batters have the tendency to play off the front foot a lot more. Barring Rohit Sharma none of the batters use the conventional pull shot to good effect.
The curator has left a lot of grass which means that there could be enough deviation off the wicket. Bowlers with the ability to pitch the ball in the 4th stump line can trouble the batters. Most of the current Indian batters including Virat Kohli tend to poke at the ball outside the off stump bringing the slips into play.
Historically the batters tend to find the early 20 minutes of batting in Perth to be difficult. Once they feel settled with the pace and bounce, the wicket tends to aid the batters. Indian batter’s inability to spend time at the wicket in recent times also raises huge doubts about their technique.
Gautam Gambhir in particular will advise the batters to watch the ball and play each delivery on its merit. According to reports, there could be variable bounce on the wicket and this could be bad news for the team that bats last on the pitch.
The likes of Nathan Lyon could prove to be a huge factor. Indian batters have played lots of spin bowling in the last few months. The sudden change in culture could prove to be hazardous and the extra pace and bounce on the wicket without the proper technique can spell doom.