How to test cricket in India is the best game of chess

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While India is a huge challenge, Australia have their own issues to sort out; David Warner is in patchy form and needs to improve his Test record in India; Usman Khawaja, Alex Carey, Travis Head and Cameron Green will be tested for better quality than Pakistan and Sri Lanka; Marcus Labuschagne is facing his first major test on the peninsula; and Steve Smith’s recent batting changes will be looked at more closely than in the West Indies, South Africa and the BBL.

Australia can win this series. India are more vulnerable at home than they have been in a long time due to injuries to key players like Rishbah Pant, Ravindra Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah. They have a lot of faith in Virat Kohli.

Australia needs to take fairways at regular intervals. Partnerships are key, so they must prevent India from building them. To win, Australia must score with the new ball. As the ball softens, they must pass sparingly and then flip the old ball back. Spin is more of a weapon in India than in Australia, but we always have to play the top four bowlers plus Green.

With Green uncertain for the first Test, it will be difficult to get the balance of the team right. The choice of who is the second spinner is critical. With good batting, Mitch Swepson should be the pick. If the pitches favor spin, which is more likely, I expect Ashton Agar to get the nod, as finger spin is considered more accurate.

Anil Kumble, who took 619 wickets in Test cricket, rarely strayed from the straight and narrow. His trade was quick, flat leg breaks that always threatened the stumps. Batters knew that if they failed, they were in trouble. Jadejas shares in trading are also unmistakable. Agar must emulate their role. One bowler leaking runs is the difference in a tight contest.

Erapalli Prasanna is arguably the best off-spinner of all time. I fondly remember one evening in 2006 when we arrived for dinner in his hometown of Bangalore. Pras, who was an engineer by profession and a cricketer in his spare time, gave me a memorable masterclass in the art of finger cycling.

I asked him what was his plan for the new batsman? He said he would spin the ball hard, try to hit him on the pads often, make him think of a spinning ball and then stay in the crease with a straight one, he said with a cheeky grin.

Line, he said, was optional, length was mandatory. Prasanna had another before anyone knew what a doosra was. He explained to me that he would set the seam slightly flatter than on a traditional off-spinner and then give the ball more spin, which would cause the ball to come off like a whirlwind, but when it hit the leather, it would SLIP on the arm, giving the impression that it had gone the other way. As the leader of the spin attack, Nathan Lyon must take a page from his book and show the way.

It is important that the Australian bowlers do not give away cheap runs especially to the Indian lower order which has been a bugbear in the past. On the surface, India appear to be handicapped by the loss of Pant, but Ishan Kishan is a capable replacement who bats aggressively.

If the climbs favor spin, as expected, the close pass is crucial. Labuschagne and Smith are great catchers, but one or two others have to spend a lot of time near the bat, which is demanding if you’re not used to it. The Indian close bowlers create hair for their spinners with their anticipation and agility, which Australia will do well to repeat.

Australia will need to bat very well in their first innings if they want to stay in the contest. The game can get away from you very quickly, otherwise.

It takes three good partnerships in each innings to build a winning score, and if you think that’s easy, let me tell you that the Indians will subject the Aussies to a relentless, testing examination in all aspects of batting.

Tours to India can make or break a batting career.

The mornings are cold in the north during February and the pitches are slower and the odd ball stays low. The good news for our speed attack is that the cool mornings offer early movement.

India has chosen its place well. Rahul Dravid will be interested to see how Australia cope with the lack of bounce and spin.

Delhi and Dharamshala suit India better than Australia. On slower pitches, Indian bats are more suitable as they stay low and create speed with square wristers. Hitting over the line is a risky business in these conditions. Australians, accustomed to extra bounce to create momentum with the lower hand, struggle on slower, lower pitches.

Nagpur is a red clay pitch where batting is best on the first three days unless they produce a raging turner.

Delhi and Dharamshala become the fortress of India. Ahmedabad has both red and black grounds and the state of the series will dictate what India order.

Visiting teams are often fooled by a game that seems to be going nowhere but suddenly takes a frantic turn. The Indians are used to this, so Australia will have to adapt quickly with mind, bat and ball.

Leaving puts a huge burden on tour groups. If India is in the contest on the fifth day, it will win.

To beat Australia, they must emulate the words of Austrian chess player Rudolf Spielmann: Play the opening like a book, the middle game like a magician, and the endgame like a machine.

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