The ongoing Test series between India and Australia has once again proved why it’s considered to be one of the fiercest rivalries in the game of cricket. Where the visitors surprised one and all after emerging victorious in the first game at Pune on a surface tailor-made for the home side, India bounced back ever so strong in the second game to level the series midway.

With two more Tests to go, all the three results are possible and it will be interesting to see who clinches the Border-Gavaskar Trophy this time. Australia were in command in the second Test as well when they had gained a sizeable lead of 87 runs in the first innings. But a wonderful partnership between Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane brought India back in the game and their bowlers did the rest to enforce a historic win.

Australia have a lot to think and a gap of 8 days before the start of the third Test at Ranchi will help them analyze what they need to do differently to make a comeback in the series.

<b>Here are the possible changes that they need to make to get back to winning ways:</b>

<strong>#1 Warner needs to play his natural game</strong>

<a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2017/03/David-Warner-2.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-119596" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/David-Warner-2.jpg" alt="David Warner v India in Bangalore" width="600" height="412" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-119596" class="wp-caption-text">David Warner. (Photo Source: BCCI)</figcaption>

The reason for Australia’s dominance in Test cricket off late has been the explosive starts provided by Warner. The vice-captain of the side usually does not discriminate much amongst the different formats of the game and his approach remains more or less the same. He goes after the bowling from the outset that enables the team to score generally at over 4 runs an over.

But the left-hander has been playing well within himself on this tour so far. His strike rate is 56 which is well below his career strike rate of 78.23. He needs to start in the fourth gear right from the start and needs to try and throw the bowlers off their lengths. In conditions like these, there is bound to be a delivery every now and then that might take his wicket, so he needs to maximize the number of runs for his stay at the crease and put pressure on the Indian bowlers.

<strong>#2 Bring in Glenn Maxwell at number 6</strong>

<a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2015/03/Glenn-Maxwell-Aus.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-13623" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Glenn-Maxwell-Aus.jpg" alt="Australian players" width="731" height="513" sizes="(max-width: 731px) 100vw, 731px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-13623" class="wp-caption-text">Glenn Maxwell. (Photo Source: Getty Images)</figcaption>

The all-rounder Mitchell Marsh has been ruled out of the series due to a shoulder injury. He had a torrid time in India and hardly contributed. He scored just 48 runs in 4 innings at a strike rate of 39.67. With the ball too, he bowled only 5 overs in 4 innings and didn’t manage to pick up any wickets. He was supposed to be playing the all-rounder’s role but Mitchell Starc did a far better job at that.

His injury could turn out to be a blessing in disguise by opting for Maxwell to don the all-rounder’s role in place of Marsh. Maxwell has played Test cricket in India before and has heaps of IPL experience that could come in handy. Plus, he has a tremendous record against Ashwin even though in a different format, yet that could well influence. He will also bowl off-breaks that would be more favourable on turning tracks than Marsh’s medium pace.

<strong>#3 Usman Khawaja in for Peter Handscomb</strong>

<a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2016/11/Usman-Khawaja.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-93488" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Usman-Khawaja.jpg" alt="Usman Khawaja of Australia" width="600" height="408" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-93488" class="wp-caption-text">Usman Khawaja of Australia. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)</figcaption>

Handscomb did look impressive with his defensive technique but his stats suggest he hasn’t been the prolific contributor for Australia. He has scored 81 runs in 4 innings with the highest score of 24. His scores in 4 innings have been 22, 19, 16 and 24 which means that he has got starts on every occasion but failed to convert them into substantial scores.

On the other hand, they have a classy batsman like Usman Khawaja warming the benches. He was in a superb form last year for Australia as well as in their domestic competitions. Additionally, he had featured for the Rising Pune Supergiants in the IPL last year and can make use of that experience to assess the Indian conditions.

<strong>#4 Short Ball strategy against Indian batsmen</strong>

<a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2017/03/Josh-Hazlewood-of-Australia.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-119605" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Josh-Hazlewood-of-Australia.jpg" alt="Josh Hazlewood of Australia" width="600" height="422" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-119605" class="wp-caption-text">Josh Hazlewood. (Photo Source: BCCI)</figcaption>

Indian batsmen have been known to struggle against the bouncers. Australia could go on to exploit those weakness going forward in the series. New Zealand and England bowlers did try that strategy intermittently and found some success even against the mighty Virat Kohli. There are not too many batsmen in the Indian line-up who are very tall and can be troubled with the short balls.

Australia have some world-class fast bowlers in their squad. The could prove to be lethal with short deliveries and the inconsistencies in the bounce on the surfaces could make it even more dangerous for the batsmen. We haven’t seen enough short balls from the Aussies so far and there has got be more of it especially when the batsman is new to the crease.

<p>The ongoing Test series between India and Australia has once again proved why it’s considered to be one of the fiercest rivalries in the game of cricket. Where the visitors surprised one and all after emerging victorious in the first game at Pune on a surface tailor-made for the home side, India bounced back ever so strong in the second game to level the series midway.</p>
<p>With two more Tests to go, all the three results are possible and it will be interesting to see who clinches the Border-Gavaskar Trophy this time. Australia were in command in the second Test as well when they had gained a sizeable lead of 87 runs in the first innings. But a wonderful partnership between Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane brought India back in the game and their bowlers did the rest to enforce a historic win.</p>
<p>Australia have a lot to think and a gap of 8 days before the start of the third Test at Ranchi will help them analyze what they need to do differently to make a comeback in the series.</p>
<h4><b>Here are the possible changes that they need to make to get back to winning ways:</b></h4>
<h4><strong>#1 Warner needs to play his natural game</strong></h4>
<figure id="attachment_119596" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-119596" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2017/03/David-Warner-2.jpg"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-119596" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/David-Warner-2.jpg" alt="David Warner v India in Bangalore" width="600" height="412" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-119596" class="wp-caption-text">David Warner. (Photo Source: BCCI)</figcaption></figure>
<p>The reason for Australia’s dominance in Test cricket off late has been the explosive starts provided by Warner. The vice-captain of the side usually does not discriminate much amongst the different formats of the game and his approach remains more or less the same. He goes after the bowling from the outset that enables the team to score generally at over 4 runs an over.</p>
<p>But the left-hander has been playing well within himself on this tour so far. His strike rate is 56 which is well below his career strike rate of 78.23. He needs to start in the fourth gear right from the start and needs to try and throw the bowlers off their lengths. In conditions like these, there is bound to be a delivery every now and then that might take his wicket, so he needs to maximize the number of runs for his stay at the crease and put pressure on the Indian bowlers.</p>
<h4><strong>#2 Bring in Glenn Maxwell at number 6</strong></h4>
<figure id="attachment_13623" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-13623" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2015/03/Glenn-Maxwell-Aus.jpg"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-13623" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Glenn-Maxwell-Aus.jpg" alt="Australian players" width="731" height="513" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-13623" class="wp-caption-text">Glenn Maxwell. (Photo Source: Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
<p>The all-rounder Mitchell Marsh has been ruled out of the series due to a shoulder injury. He had a torrid time in India and hardly contributed. He scored just 48 runs in 4 innings at a strike rate of 39.67. With the ball too, he bowled only 5 overs in 4 innings and didn’t manage&nbsp;to pick up any wickets. He was supposed to be playing the all-rounder’s role but Mitchell Starc did a far better job at that.</p>
<p>His injury could turn out to be a&nbsp;blessing in disguise by opting for Maxwell to don the all-rounder’s role in place of Marsh. Maxwell has played Test cricket in India before and has heaps of IPL experience that could come in handy. Plus, he has a tremendous record against Ashwin even though in a different format, yet that could well influence. He will also bowl off-breaks that would be more favourable on turning tracks than Marsh’s medium pace.</p>
<h4><strong>#3 Usman Khawaja in for Peter Handscomb</strong></h4>
<figure id="attachment_93488" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-93488" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2016/11/Usman-Khawaja.jpg"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-93488" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Usman-Khawaja.jpg" alt="Usman Khawaja of Australia" width="600" height="408" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-93488" class="wp-caption-text">Usman Khawaja of Australia. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
<p>Handscomb did look impressive with his defensive technique but his stats suggest he hasn’t been the prolific contributor for Australia. He has scored 81 runs in 4 innings with the highest score of 24. His scores in 4 innings have been 22, 19, 16 and 24 which means that he has got starts on every occasion but failed to convert them into substantial scores.</p>
<p>On the other hand, they have a classy batsman like Usman Khawaja warming the benches. He was in a superb form last year for Australia as well as in their domestic competitions. Additionally, he had featured for the Rising Pune Supergiants in the IPL last year and can make use of that experience to assess the Indian conditions.</p>
<h4><strong>#4 Short Ball strategy against Indian batsmen</strong></h4>
<figure id="attachment_119605" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-119605" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2017/03/Josh-Hazlewood-of-Australia.jpg"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-119605" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Josh-Hazlewood-of-Australia.jpg" alt="Josh Hazlewood of Australia" width="600" height="422" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-119605" class="wp-caption-text">Josh Hazlewood. (Photo Source: BCCI)</figcaption></figure>
<p>Indian batsmen have been known to struggle against the bouncers. Australia could go on to exploit those weakness going forward in the series. New Zealand and England bowlers did try that strategy intermittently and found some success even against the mighty Virat Kohli. There are not too many batsmen in the Indian line-up who are very tall and can be troubled with the short balls.</p>
<p>Australia have&nbsp;some world-class fast bowlers in their squad. The could prove to be lethal with short deliveries and the inconsistencies in the bounce on the surfaces could make it even more dangerous for the batsmen. We haven’t seen enough short balls from the Aussies so far and there has got be more of it especially when the batsman is new to the crease.</p>

<p>The ongoing Test series between India and Australia has once again proved why it’s considered to be one of the fiercest rivalries in the game of cricket. Where the visitors surprised one and all after emerging victorious in the first game at Pune on a surface tailor-made for the home side, India bounced back ever so strong in the second game to level the series midway.</p>
<p>With two more Tests to go, all the three results are possible and it will be interesting to see who clinches the Border-Gavaskar Trophy this time. Australia were in command in the second Test as well when they had gained a sizeable lead of 87 runs in the first innings. But a wonderful partnership between Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane brought India back in the game and their bowlers did the rest to enforce a historic win.</p>
<p>Australia have a lot to think and a gap of 8 days before the start of the third Test at Ranchi will help them analyze what they need to do differently to make a comeback in the series.</p>
<h4><b>Here are the possible changes that they need to make to get back to winning ways:</b></h4>
<h4><strong>#1 Warner needs to play his natural game</strong></h4>
<figure id="attachment_119596" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-119596" style="width: 600px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2017/03/David-Warner-2.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-119596" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/David-Warner-2.jpg" alt="David Warner v India in Bangalore" width="600" height="412" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-119596" class="wp-caption-text">David Warner. (Photo Source: BCCI)</figcaption></figure>
<p>The reason for Australia’s dominance in Test cricket off late has been the explosive starts provided by Warner. The vice-captain of the side usually does not discriminate much amongst the different formats of the game and his approach remains more or less the same. He goes after the bowling from the outset that enables the team to score generally at over 4 runs an over.</p>
<p>But the left-hander has been playing well within himself on this tour so far. His strike rate is 56 which is well below his career strike rate of 78.23. He needs to start in the fourth gear right from the start and needs to try and throw the bowlers off their lengths. In conditions like these, there is bound to be a delivery every now and then that might take his wicket, so he needs to maximize the number of runs for his stay at the crease and put pressure on the Indian bowlers.</p>
<h4><strong>#2 Bring in Glenn Maxwell at number 6</strong></h4>
<figure id="attachment_13623" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-13623" style="width: 731px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2015/03/Glenn-Maxwell-Aus.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-13623" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Glenn-Maxwell-Aus.jpg" alt="Australian players" width="731" height="513" sizes="(max-width: 731px) 100vw, 731px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-13623" class="wp-caption-text">Glenn Maxwell. (Photo Source: Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
<p>The all-rounder Mitchell Marsh has been ruled out of the series due to a shoulder injury. He had a torrid time in India and hardly contributed. He scored just 48 runs in 4 innings at a strike rate of 39.67. With the ball too, he bowled only 5 overs in 4 innings and didn’t manage to pick up any wickets. He was supposed to be playing the all-rounder’s role but Mitchell Starc did a far better job at that.</p>
<p>His injury could turn out to be a blessing in disguise by opting for Maxwell to don the all-rounder’s role in place of Marsh. Maxwell has played Test cricket in India before and has heaps of IPL experience that could come in handy. Plus, he has a tremendous record against Ashwin even though in a different format, yet that could well influence. He will also bowl off-breaks that would be more favourable on turning tracks than Marsh’s medium pace.</p>
<h4><strong>#3 Usman Khawaja in for Peter Handscomb</strong></h4>
<figure id="attachment_93488" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-93488" style="width: 600px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2016/11/Usman-Khawaja.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-93488" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Usman-Khawaja.jpg" alt="Usman Khawaja of Australia" width="600" height="408" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-93488" class="wp-caption-text">Usman Khawaja of Australia. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
<p>Handscomb did look impressive with his defensive technique but his stats suggest he hasn’t been the prolific contributor for Australia. He has scored 81 runs in 4 innings with the highest score of 24. His scores in 4 innings have been 22, 19, 16 and 24 which means that he has got starts on every occasion but failed to convert them into substantial scores.</p>
<p>On the other hand, they have a classy batsman like Usman Khawaja warming the benches. He was in a superb form last year for Australia as well as in their domestic competitions. Additionally, he had featured for the Rising Pune Supergiants in the IPL last year and can make use of that experience to assess the Indian conditions.</p>
<h4><strong>#4 Short Ball strategy against Indian batsmen</strong></h4>
<figure id="attachment_119605" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-119605" style="width: 600px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2017/03/Josh-Hazlewood-of-Australia.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-119605" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Josh-Hazlewood-of-Australia.jpg" alt="Josh Hazlewood of Australia" width="600" height="422" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-119605" class="wp-caption-text">Josh Hazlewood. (Photo Source: BCCI)</figcaption></figure>
<p>Indian batsmen have been known to struggle against the bouncers. Australia could go on to exploit those weakness going forward in the series. New Zealand and England bowlers did try that strategy intermittently and found some success even against the mighty Virat Kohli. There are not too many batsmen in the Indian line-up who are very tall and can be troubled with the short balls.</p>
<p>Australia have some world-class fast bowlers in their squad. The could prove to be lethal with short deliveries and the inconsistencies in the bounce on the surfaces could make it even more dangerous for the batsmen. We haven’t seen enough short balls from the Aussies so far and there has got be more of it especially when the batsman is new to the crease.</p>

Changes Australia need to make to get back to winning ways

The ongoing Test series between India and Australia has once again proved why it’s considered to be one of the fiercest rivalries in the game of cricket.