‘Settled’ India favourites in Australia series: Laxman

NEW DELHI: VVS Laxman said India were favourites to win the upcoming four-match Test series in Australia as they were a “settled” side filled with “quality”.

India’s attempts to win a first Test series in Australia will begin in Adelaide from December 6, and Laxman believes an Australian side bereft of Steve Smith and David Warner, and still coping with the fallout from the ball-tampering incident in March, will not be able to pose the same challenge as previous sides from Down Under.

“Absolutely, India will start favourites in the Test series,” Laxman told CricketNext. “I feel that it is not only because Steve Smith and Warner are not there. It is because this Indian side has the quality, and it is a settled side.

“The Australian side doesn’t look a settled bunch, especially in the batting department. Yes, they will miss Warner and Smith. But that confidence level, the attitude, and the approach you expect of an Australian player, an Australian team – the character of the Australian sides against whom I played – that character is not obvious in this team.”

With Smith, Warner and Cameron Bancroft, the opener, still serving their bans, the Australian line-up is still in a state of flux. They tried out new players in their last Test series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates, and are considering handing a Test debut to 26-year-old opener Marcus Harris in the upcoming series.

“That’s why I feel that India have got a big chance because they are a settled unit and they will be confident,” Laxman said. “I firmly believe that the first Test will be most crucial. If the first Test goes in India’s favour and the Indian batsmen get among the runs, then I think it will be a series which India will win comfortably.”

Furthermore, many in this Indian team have toured Australia before. All of Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, KL Rahul, Murali Vijay, Ishant Sharma, Ravichandran Ashwin, Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Shami have visited Australia at least once before, and the experience will be crucial for the visitors.

“I am very confident that they will do well, because there is a lot of experience now,” Laxman said. “I always feel that the second tour of Australia becomes easier because you know what to expect, and you can prepare accordingly.

“With the experience and quality in this Indian batting line-up, I would be really surprised if they don’t score heavily on this tour.”

However, when India toured South Africa and England earlier this year, there was plenty of experience as well, but India lost both series, with the batting heavily dependent on Kohli, the captain.

Laxman feels things will be different this time. “I don’t think we should be dependent on Kohli,” Laxman said. “Because there is enough class and quality in this Indian batting line-up. There is class from KL Rahul, you have got Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma.

“All of them are experienced, and there is more class in the form of the relatively new Prithvi Shaw, Rishabh Pant and (Hanuma) Vihari. They should not be thinking that they are overly dependent on Virat Kohli.”