What’s the story?
Former Australian cricket team pacer Mitchell Johnson believes that India will have their backs against the wall in the series-deciding tie at Dharamshala starting on Saturday, the 25th of this month.
The tightly contested four-match Test series is tied at 1-1 after the visitors started well with a convincing win in Pune, before the hosts pegged it back in Bangalore and the two teams played out a fair draw in Ranchi.
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Speaking to Fox Sports about the final Test, he said, “Dharamsala is an amazing ground and the only times I have seen it are with grass on (the pitch). So I think that's why the Australians will probably be confident and India will be a little bit nervous. I think they've been overconfident in this series and I think the scoreline shows that. (The result in Ranchi) gives Australia a huge advantage I think. For them (India) to know that it's not about Steve Smith and David Warner, other guys in the team can perform and can play out for a draw. They dug in and played exceptional cricket.”
The context
Mitchell Johnson understands the conditions pretty well after his time with the Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League. The surface is expected to assist seamers and he believes the Australians with Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood hold an edge over the Indians.
The details
History will be created at the HPCA stadium when it hosts a Test match for the first time ever in its history. Along with Pune and Ranchi, Dharamshala will become the third venue to host its first Test during the series.
While most surfaces in India assist spin, Dharamshala is an exception. Like Mohali, it traditionally offers more assistance to the seamers, despite the smaller size of the ground. India will be confident that their bowlers will be able to match the threat posed by the Australians, given the form Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav have displayed so far.
Parallels from history
This is not the first time in the series that Mitchell Johnson has voiced his opinion before the start of a Test. Ahead of the third Test in Ranchi, the seamer had a go at India’s skipper Virat Kohli, saying, “He's (Virat Kohli) obviously quite passionate, but I just think he's frustrated because he hasn't scored a run and he's letting his emotions get the better of him.”
Author’s take
If we have learned one thing from the series thus far, it is that we can’t predict anything about the nature of the pitch before the first ball is bowled. The surface in Ranchi was expected to assist spin from day 1, but instead, it provided a neutral surface that assisted both batting units.
As the countdown to the final Test continues, one can expect more Australian legends to voice their opinion about the final result.
