Ravi Shastri had to develop a “thick skin, thicker than the leather of the
Dukes ball” to counter the criticism he faced as the Team India head coach.

Gautam Gambhir must have had an identical experience following the team’s first series loss at home in 12 years on Friday. The current head coach had been part
of the playing XI when India last lost a series at home in 2012 against Alastair Cook’s England.

This was India’s fifth home loss in a Test since 2021 and there’s apprehension that the jitters will be felt in Australia next month.

The “hungry” Australians are already focusing on completing “ten years of unfinished business”, as Nathan Lyon put it, while Rohit Sharma’s men will be keen to make the most of the home side’s inconsistency.

Australia haven’t won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy since 2014-15 with India prevailing in the last two meetings Down Under by identical 2-1 margins in 2018-19 and 2020-21.

A series in Australia is not just limited to skill and temperament, it’s more about grit, besides the mental warfare. As a player, Gambhir was known to be robust and rugged, even daring to pick up a fight with his opponents on the field. He is expected to imbibe such attributes into a team, which is already hailed for its no-nonsense approach.

He needs to be ruthless while diagnosing the problems of the side. There’s
the need to act tough with the non-performers and not get bogged down by their
star status. How he handles such a tricky issue on a challenging tour could decide India’s fortunes.

The Australians no more carry the invincible status at home. Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Lyon form a strong bowling unit, but the Indians are known to excel on the bouncy wickets.

There will be no Cheteshwar Pujara who helped India knock off 328 runs to secure a famous win, though Rishabh Pant was the X-factor with his unbeaten 89 on the final day of the Brisbane Test in January 2021.

Pujara had stood like a rock, refusing to grimace as the Australians landed close to a dozen blows on his body leaving him with a swollen finger and bruised torso. He was the most successful on both the last two tours and Gambhir’s task will be to find a suitable replacement, someone who could show the courage to gulp down the pain and withstand the barrage of short-pitched bowling for hours together.

Can Shubman Gill be a suitable replacement at No.3? Opening the innings, he averaged 51.80 on their previous tour and has the technical acumen to succeed on such wickets. He is under pressure on turning pitches, as his recent lull suggests, but the conditions in Australia might just suit his style of play.

The occasion always spurs on Virat Kohli and he will be keen to replicate his vintage form where he has created several memorable moments.

Australia’s batting too can’t rest easy. Jasprit Bumrah will relish the conditions along with Mohammed Siraj. If Mohammed Shami is available in the latter half, India’s attack will be menacing.

The only aspect which could bother them is the absence of a left-arm pacer who could create the footmarks for Ravichandran Ashwin to make use of.

There’s no David Warner, Steve Smith has lost his batting aura and even Marnus Labuschagne has been inconsistent, England’s bowling exposed several such chinks during the last Ashes. Their top order will largely depend on Usman Khawaja
and Travis Head. Khawaja averages 34.38 in their last seven Tests since the 2023-24 summer followed by Smith at 33.18.

Their top-order has just one hundred between them (Head’s 119 vs West Indies in Adelaide) during the period which is a reflection of their poor batting. No wonder the selectors are far more concerned about the team’s ability to score enough runs than to pick 20 wickets.

Therein lies a ray of hope for Rohit’s men unless Head emerges as the saviour again.