2nd Test Preview - India v Australia @ Bangalore

Series Rolls To To Bangalore with Australia 1 Up

India and Australia resume hostilities in the Second Test in Bangalore in a series that has come to life after Australia's crushing 333-run victory. With many experts predicting a 4-0 whitewash for India, Australia produced a performance for the ages with Steven O'Keefe taking 12 wickets and captain Steve Smith leading from the front with another century. For India, there were no such heroes as they folded for 105 and 107 to complete their third lowest combined score in Test Match history. After coming into the Test Match off the back of 17 wins from 20 at home, and a 4-0 series defeat of England, India appeared far too complacent, and the raging turner that was served up in Pune ending up blowing up in their faces as they were beaten in under three days.

The teams move on to Bangalore, which is the only ground in the series that has hosted Test Match cricket previously. Australia has a good record in Bangalore having only lost once to India in five Tests there. However, the last time the sides clashed there in 2010, India ran out convincing winners in a series that they won 2-0. Much speculation in the lead-up to this match has been around the pitch after Pune spun like a Day 5 wicket on the morning of Day 1. Despite the surface in Bangalore looking green a few days out, it is expected to take good turn, however be a far better batting surface, at least earlier in the match, than what was served up in Pune. 

Australia Unchanged From Winning Side In Pune

Australia head into this match unchanged and with a jolt of confidence and belief that they have rarely received in this part of the world over the past five years.  Australia came into the First Test in a good spot mentally, with very little pressure or expectation on a team that had been swatted away in the Sub-Continent of late, including being swept in Sri Lanka and India over the past few years. However, that now changes here in Bangalore after the magnitude of Australia's triumph with expectation, at least externally,  being ramped up a few notches as this team showed what it is capable of.  

Australia completely dominated India in all facets of the game. They more than doubled the hosts score in both innings, whilst their spinners, O'Keefe and Lyon, were far more dangerous and penetrating than their higher ranked rivals. Even the little things add up to big things in the context of the game, for example Australia's brilliant close-in catching and their far wiser use of the DRS far surpassed their hosts, who were sloppy and wasteful in both regards. India  appeared jaded and complacent for most of the game, which might have been the reality check they needed after such a long run of success at home. 

Expect This Test To Be Longer and Tighter 

While I expect India to hit back really hard in this Test Match, I also expect Australia to build upon what they did in Pune. I don't particularly believe in momentum in terms of different Test Matches, but I believe in confidence, and plenty of Australian players would have got a real shot in the arm of it in Pune. Whilst much has been made of the stellar performances of Steven O'Keefe and Steve Smith, Australia had a number of contributors who, whilst they didn't put their names up in lights, helped contribute to a dominant win. Young Matt Renshaw dispelled the doubts I had about him on Indian pitches, batting with a plan and purpose, to score 99 runs for the match, whilst Nathan Lyon bowled as well as he has in the last 12 months without getting the startling figures that his fellow spinner achieved.

Both Australian quicks were dangerous, with Starc tailing the ball in and Hazlewood banging away on a relentless line and length. India have to improve in all aspects of the game, however there is doubt they have the personnel to do so. It would take a brave man to back Virat Kohli to fail two Tests in a row after he could muster just 13 runs across two innings in Pune. I also thought the Indian spinners in Ashwin and Jadeja were well below their best despite picking up wickets. Both are capable of bowling far more balls in the danger areas, and building suffocating pressure on the batsman, as they failed to do in Pune. India also need their Number 3 Cheteshwar Pujara to occupy the crease and get some runs as his form has tailed off in this long Indian summer. 

Prediction - I think this game has the potential to be a real classic given the upset nature of the First Test. I can't see any way Australia will be as dominant, or India as poor. However, that is not to say I don't think Australia can go 2-0 up. I think once again the toss plays a huge role in these conditions and I would install the winner of the toss to become the favourites to win this game. After the Pune pitch backfired on India quite savagely, I am expecting a better surface here and a more attritional game of cricket. I still think Steven O'Keefe will prove the most effective of the Australian bowlers and take the most wickets in this game, whilst for India I think their spinners will bowl a lot better than they did in Pune.