New Delhi: If the India A versus Australia A matches were any indication, the senior India Test team would have rather enjoyed a tour game or two before the opening Test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy begins in Perth on November 22.

But with the India camp having a rather firm belief about the uselessness of warm-up games, the players were instead put through the wringer at the WACA ground in Perth. But there is a catch -- the net session was held behind a black curtain and photos/videos were prohibited, so no one, other than the plyers, quite knows what exactly took place on the first day of training in Australia.

The bowlers have their own catching up to do Down Under but India’s major worry at this point is going to be the batting. The successes in the previous two tours -- 2018-19 and in 2020-21 were built not just on aggressive batting but also by occupying the crease and setting up the innings for the batters to follow.

In 2018, for instance, the Indian team faced 4387 balls on the way to their historic first triumph Down Under. Australia’s batters played 4188 balls in a series that went down to the wire. The big differentiator for India was Cheteshwar Pujara, who batted at incredible 1258 balls to score 521 runs at an average of 74.42.

In the 2020/21 series, Pujara wasn’t as great as he was on the previous tour, but he still batted 928 balls of India’s total of 4123 deliveries faced. Also worth factoring in is the collapse at Adelaide in the first Test where the second innings lasted just 21.2 overs. By comparison, Australia batted 4036 balls.

The conditions in India are, of course, very different but during the recent series against New Zealand, the hosts batted just 2053 balls across three Tests. The challenge for many in the current line-up isn’t playing shots, rather it is finding a way to stay in the middle long enough to make the aggression count.

And perhaps, in this regard, they might want to take a leaf out of Australia opener Usman Khawaja’s book. The left-hander has a career strike-rate of 48.29 and he knows that the only intent that really counts is one that helps the team win the match.

“I don’t know where this myth started that you need someone to score really fast to do well,” Khawaja told reporters at the Gabba on Wednesday. “For me, it’s a myth.”

He added: “As an opener, you’re trying to score runs. You’ve got five days to do it. We didn’t have one Test match go to five days (last summer). So, I don’t know why you need to score fast.”

A five-Test series is not just about landing blows. It is also about taking a physical toll on the opposition. One of the highlights of the 2020/21 series was the battle between Pat Cummins and Pujara. The Australian pacer got the better of Pujara five times in eight innings, but the Indian middle-order batter made 271 runs while facing 928 balls, which included series-defining contributions in Sydney and Brisbane.

In the past, India’s batters have shown that they are capable of batting time as well. Yashasvi Jaiswal’s 387-ball 171 comes to mind instantly as does Rohit Sharma’s performances (369 runs at an average of 52.57) during the tour of England in 2021 -- his strike-rate then was just 42.49. But this intent has somehow been forgotten.

“Opening’s as much about scoring runs than it is being able to absorb and bat time,” Khawaja said.” Dave (Warner) was special. He could score runs while absorbing. He was setting a platform for the guys later (in the order) to come in and score runs. And I think those two are both very important things.

“Nathan (McSweneey) does that really well. He can score runs, but he can also bat time. They’re really important facets to have in Test cricket if you want to set games up to win.”

So, it really is going to come down to mind over matter for many of the India batters. Can they make the mental switch that cricket in Australia often demands or will they decide to back their current methods and hope it all comes together against one of the best attacks in world cricket?

Given that the Indian team is going to practice behind closed doors, one won’t really know what they are truly up to, until they finally step out for the first Test at the Optus Stadium.

There is talk that a ‘spicy’ wicket is being prepared and India’s dilemma is that they don’t have much time to learn how to bat time.

Read Also: Craze to capture video of MS Dhoni and wife Sakshi casting vote in Ranchi reaches new heights

HOW DID YOU LIKE THIS ARTICLE? CHOOSE YOUR EMOTICON !