Australia to play for pride in Kotla Test as India eyes whitewash

21 March, 2013

When India takes on Aussies in the final Test match at Feroz Shah Kotla ground in Delhi, the intentions would be clear: whitewash the Aussies. On the other hand, the Australians wouldn't wish to head home without a win in their bag. If they fail to win, it could well be their most embarrassing defeat in recent memory. The Australians are in fact playing for pride.

The Indian team has played great cricket in order to make the Australian team look weak, but the latter also did not do any justice to their game by playing into the hands of the Indian bowlers and batsmen.

With the Australians having not played the Indian spinners well, they are going to have a hard time this time around as well in the fourth Test match at Kotla pitch, which is said to be a turner. The pitch is said to assist the spinners right from day one. This piece of information will only create panic in the Australian camp. All the pitches that the Australians played have assisted the Indian spinners and the same is expected at Kotla as well.

Things do not look too good for the Aussies as Michael Clarke got injured and he might not take the field for the final Test match. If it does happen, it would be a huge loss for the Australians as he is the only Aussie batsman who has looked good scoring 286 runs in the series so far. His absence might give Shane Watson a chance to lead the Australian side, who is eligible for selection after being dropped from the third Test match at Mohali.

Indian side, leading 3-0, is in contrasting form, and they cannot take a wrong step. The Indian squad presently comprises in-form players with both the bat and the ball. Virat Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar, Cheteshwar Pujara, Murli Vijay and MS Dhoni have all shone with the bat in the series. In the bowling department, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Pragyan Ojha, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja have been efficient with the red cherry. A similar kind of performance is expected from the Indian players at Kotla.

The only bad news for the Indian team is the injury to the Man of the Match recipient in the last Test match, Shikhar Dhawan. The left hander has been replaced by another left hander, Suresh Raina. This might open up the doors for Ajinkya Rahane to open the innings with Murli Vijay. It could be a right time to unleash the player in the series with India having won the series. Rahane deserves his chance, as he has been one of the best performers in the domestic circuit with an average of above 60.