Hobart: The experience of 15,000 Test runs between Steve Smith and David Warner will certainly give Australian batting unit a formidable look when they take on India in a four-match Test series at the end of the year, according to skipper Tim Paine.
Australia for the first time in 71 years lost a home Test series against India 1-2 in the 2018-19 bilateral contest under Paine. However, Smith and Warner were then in the midst of their ball-tampering suspension and the team was in a transition phase.
“This is a different team, no doubt their team will be slightly different as well, but it will be two high quality sides, a really anticipated series purely because of the quality of cricket, not for what’s happened before. India and Australia as a rivalry, it’s a series a bit like the Ashes that we all look forward to,” Paine was quoted as saying by a cricket-specific website Tuesday.
Not only the seasoned duo but the extremely talented Marnus Labuschagne also adds the necessary depth that the Aussie batting unit didn’t have last time around.
“I think you put in 15,000 Test runs with two guys alone, Steve Smith and David Warner, Marnus Labuschagne’s come on in leaps and bounds and he’s now a top three or four batsman in the world himself,” pointed out Paine.
“You put that amount of runs into a cricket side, last time we didn’t have … we know how good India’s bowling line-up is and last time we just weren’t quite good enough if we’re totally honest against that attack. This time I think we’ll be a different kettle of fish. We’ve got three of the best batsmen in the world in our top six,” the captain added.
Paine also said that the inclusion of Matthew Wade who will play purely as a batsman also is an advantage. “Matthew Wade back adds a real toughness to the batting line-up. So I think it’s going to be an exciting series, there’s no doubt about it,” Paine added.
It all depends on how the world is at that time of the year and whether normal travel resumes. Australia have already put in place a six-month overseas travel ban at present due to the coronavirus threat.
Agencies