Stars To Watch

With the focus now shifting to the four-Test series between India and Australia, PRAVEEN SUDEVAN picks three players from each side who could MAKE AN IMPACT ON THE CONTEST.

- Praveen Sudevan

INDIA

VIRAT KOHLI

Four double centuries in four successive series — not even the great DonBradman could do it. The Indian skip-per has been having a golden run. Some of the numbers he has achieved in batting are barely believable. In seven months, his batting average has swelled from 44 to 51. In 12 Tests last year, Kohli scored 1215 runs at an average of 75.93 — the highest for any batsman who has made at least 500 runs. Centuries hardly excite him these days, and he doesn’t even remove his helmet when he reaches the landmark.

“I have always wanted to play long innings and my first seven or eight hundreds were not even 120-plus scores,” he told bcci.tv recently. “After that I made a conscious effort to bat long and control my excitement or not be complacent at any stage.”

As captain, he fights back when the team is on the backfoot and goes for the knockout when the opposition stumbles. He will be the biggest thorn in Australia’s flesh.

RAVICHANDRAN ASHWIN

The Border-Gavaskar series have been milestones in Ashwin’s career. After taking 14 wicketsin four Tests, at an average of 52.64, in India’s 2-1 defeat to England at home in 2012, Ashwin bounced back in the following series against Australia. He had a series haul of 29 wickets at 20.10 to facilitate India’s 4-0 thrashing of Australia. The next Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia in 2014 led to Ashwin’s regeneration. After a tweak to his action in that series, Ashwin bowled better than he ever did. From then on, he has, in 21 Tests, picked up 130 wickets at an astonishing average of 21.13. With a captain who encourages attacking bowling, Ashwin has run through the lineups of the visiting teams during India’s unbeaten run at home.