NEW DELHI: At the best of times a five-Test series is cricket's marathon. The Visiting side has to contend with unfamiliar conditions and a determined and better equipped home team feeding off the extra energy from its fans. History can also weigh on the touring team.
India have played 15 series of five-or-more Tests. Their only win came on the 1971 tour of the West Indies, also famous for Sunil Gavaskar's grand show on debut. On the 1977-78 visit of Australia - the hosts hit by play-ers migrating to Kerry Packer's World Series - India fought back from 0-2 by winning the next two Tests but lost the decider.
The last time India played a five-Test series in Australia, in 1991-92, it was a forgettable experience, a 4-0 rout. As the sub-continent giants go into their first five-Test series in Australia in 24 years, the build-up doesn't augur well. The team is in some disarray after the 0-3 humiliation at home against New Zealand. What was anticipated to be a victory parade heading into a Border-Gavaskar Trophy contest that was being built up as rivalling the Ashes has effectively turned into a journey into the unknown.
Defeats can quickly lead to fatigue, collective and individual, and the loss to New Zealand has already pushed transition talk to the fore.
This story is from the November 20, 2024 edition of Hindustan Times.
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This story is from the November 20, 2024 edition of Hindustan Times.
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