In the absence of Steven Smith and David Warner, the Australian Test side looks rather fallible. The batting, in particular, has collapsed on a number of occasions, and hence, the Indian team should fancy their chances of winning a Test series down under, for the first time.
Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly, who led India to a well-fought drawn series back in 2003, believes that the Australian side looks weak and this presents Kohli and boys with an excellent chance to scripting history. He also said that the Australia side minus Steven Smith and David Warner is like an Indian side without Virat Kohli.
"It's a huge factor. This is like the Indian team not having Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli," Ganguly said.
'Best opportunity to beat Australia'
The Indian bowling attack has received plenty of rave reviews for its performance in South Africa and England, and Ganguly is confident that the potency of the attack should be enough to account for Australia. However, he did warn the team to guard against complacency since Australia will put up a fight, especially in their own backyard.
"It's a great moment for Indian cricket. This is their best opportunity to beat Australia. India are a good side and have good bowling attack. I have seen in England that they (bowlers) have taken 20 wickets in every test. But you also have to keep in mind that Australia in Australia are a different kettle of fish. Many feel that they are a weak outfit but I don't think so," he added.
The current CAB president revealed that Indian pacer Mohammed Shami would feature in Bengal's next game against Kerala in the ongoing Ranji Trophy. A fit and firing Shami would be critical to India's cause in Australia, and this news is certainly very promising.
"Shami has wanted to play. If he plays it's good for the Bengal side. We had written a letter before the first match as well to play him but he had a few fitness issues for which he had to go to rehabilitation. If he plays, it's great," the 46-year old said.
