Australia will be traveling to India next month to play for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy hoping to end their wait for a series win in the country where they last triumphed back in 2004. Since then, they have returned empty-handed and worse, have lost back-to-back series at home to India as well.
However, the Pat Cummins-led side is in red-hot form having crushed the likes of West Indies and South Africa in the past couple of months and will be carrying the confidence into the tour where they are expected to face a trial by spin.
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And Aussie great Ian Healy predicts that should India not prepare rank turners, the tourists have a good chance of winning this time around.
“They’ve (India) got a good team but I’m not too scared of their spinners unless they produce unreasonable wickets,” Healy was quoted as saying by SEN.
“If they produce unreasonable wickets like they did half the series last time (we won’t win), two wickets were just terrible, unfair, spinners jumping over your head on day one,” he added.
Healy thinks should the conditions be more batting friendly, Australia will have a chance but he predicted a 2-1 series triumph for India.
“So that type of thing they will play better on than we will, but if they get flat wickets that India used to put out, nice flat batting wickets and bowlers have to work really hard, I think we can do it. But (my prediction is) 2-1 India, if (Mitchell) Starc’s unavailable in the first Test,” Healy said.
“My worry for him (Starc) not playing the first Test is that you don’t have a lot of time to get the bowling in that you’re going to need in the second, third and fourth Test,” he added.
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The former wicketkeeper-batter though has a much positive outlook for Australia’s next biggest challenge of 2023 – Ashes tour of England.
Healy says Australia will win 3-1 provided they remain injury-free.
“Now Ashes, if we haven’t got any injuries in that bowling attack and we can play our top team, then 3-1 Australia. We’re going to really attack Bazball and put Bazball under pressure,” he said.
He continued, “We’ll see how much courage and bravery they can retain in that top order with England and their bowlers. I think for once we’ll cope the best against (James) Anderson and (Stuart) Broad, Anderson is 40 years of age, we’ve got to really get some pressure back on him. Our best players for mine, Pat Cummins and Steve Smith will be our stars.”
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