India and Australia are two of the biggest powerhouses in world cricket. The Indian cricket team is scheduled to tour Australia in 2021. The last time India played a test series on the Australian soil, India emerged the winners 2-1 in the 4-match series. It was also the first-ever test series victory for India in Australia in 2018-19. India will play a 4-test series once again in 2021. While there is a lot of cricket left to be played, let’s try to predict who will win AUS-IND test series 2021?
At first, let’s try to take a look at the biggest factors which will determine the outcome of the series.
Top-Order – While Australia have David Warner for an opening slot, they are yet to find an able partner for him. They have Marnus Labuschagne at the number 3 slot. He has been in a great form and piling up lots of runs for Australia. Just like Australia, India are also looking for an established opening combination. Mayank Agarwal, KL Rahul, and Prithvi Shaw are the best options for them. At number 3, they have ever-reliable Cheteshwar Pujara. Pujara was also the difference between the two sides last time around. Both sides look equal on this front.
Middle-Order – Australia middle-order consists of Steven Smith, Tim Paine, and Matthew Wade. On the other hand, Inda middle-order will have Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, and Rohit Sharma (most likely). Both sides boast a strong middle-order on the paper. However, India edge ahead of Australia in comparison. The performance of the middle-order for both sides will be a crucial factor in deciding the outcome of AUS-IND test series 2021.
Pace Attack – Australia arguably have the best pace attack in world cricket. The trio of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Josh Hazelwood can destroy any batting lineup out there. Also, gone ate the days when India used to have only one or two good pacers in their ranks. India have a pace attack for all conditions and good enough to create fear among the opposition. The likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, Ishant Sharma, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar form a potent pace attack for India. On comparison of the two, Australia surge ahead of India in their home conditions.
Spin Attack – Australia have only one world-class spinner in their ranks in the form of Nathan Lyon. India, meanwhile, have multiple options in this department. Thay have Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Kuldeep Yadav as their spin-bowling options. India have the luxury to select their spinner as per the conditions and they are ahead of their counterparts in this department. It could affect the outcome of the series and could also become the deciding factor in the AUS-IND test series 2021.
With the return of David Warner and Steven Smith in the Australian side, we can expect the series to go down to the wire this time. However, as per our Today Match Prediction, India are likely to win and retain the Border-Gavaskar trophy in 2021.