The former Australian fast bowler Glenn McGrath, who is now the director at MRF Pace Foundation, is of the view that the ultimate challenge for the Australian test team is to win a test series in India, which they have not done for close to two decades now.
Australia last won a test series in India way back in 2004 and Glenn McGrath was a part of that Australian squad, but since then the Kangaroos have played 12 test matches on Indian soil, spanned across 4 different test series. They have managed to win just one test match out of that and have lost all the 4 series back to back.
While the Aussies were clean swept in the test series in 2008, 2010, and 2013, they won a test match in the 4-match test series in 2017. However, they ended up losing that series as well by the margin of 2-1 eventually.
Australia, in general, has had a tough time winning test series away from home anywhere in the last few years, but they have shown signs of improvement recently, as they won a test series in Pakistan on slowish, flat pitches and drew a test series in Sri Lanka on rank turners.
The pitches in India in the test series next year might be rank turners or might be slowish flat ones, but the real difference in India will be in the quality of the opposition because the Indian test team at the moment is the strongest in the world on their home turf.
Finding the right length is key on Indian pitches: Glenn McGrath
India hasn’t lost a test series at home for the last decade. Their last test series defeat at home was against England in 2012 and since then, they have won 37 test matches at home and lost just 2.
According to Glenn McGrath, who was talking to cricket.com in an exclusive interview, the key in India for the visiting teams is to find the right lengths and not to let the batsmen score freely when the ball gets old. The Australian bowlers can bowl the same lines that they bowl back home, but the lengths will have to be different in India because the Indian pitches will be far slower and lower.
Glenn McGrath (in https://t.co/uVnTZ7XMlv) said "India is the ultimate challenge for Australia everytime".
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) August 15, 2022
