Ind vs Aus: Ishant Sharma will be the key player Down Under

For a man who could be forgiven for being less than enthusiastic about Indias prospects for the forthcoming Test series Joe Dawes is refreshingly upbeat about Indias bowling group Ive played alongside Joey since 1995 and he was never renowned for being diplomaticIshant SharmaBrutally honest frighteningly pacy doesnt suffer fools but he would never tell you what you wanted to hear just because it might be politically correct So when I asked him about Indias chances Down Under what you read is what he thinksThats not to say that its necessarily a prediction of a resounding victory That it will be a tough series to win is obvious to all but the foolish patriot What Dawes has seen from his few years with the Indian bowlers is encouraging but couched in caveats around fitness injury and that ability to turn potential into actual outcomes Aarons pace clearly has him excited but he is young and rawSometimes raw pace on fast wickets can go the distance Strike bowlers need to be used sparingly but with no genuine allrounders and the slow bowler likely to be milked for 4plus runs per over will Aaron get enough rest between spells to still push 150 kph late in the afternoonIshant Sharma is the key According to Dawes he has what it takes to become a genuine threat if used wisely His spindly frame will always be an ongoing concern but from all accounts he has an excellent work ethic a clear head on his shoulders and relishes being a leaderHis mentoring of the younger lads has impressed Dawes who knows something of this art form having played most of his firstclass cricket around fast bowlers like Michael Kasprowicz Andy Bichel Ashley Noffke Adam Dale and Scott Muller The ability to lead an attack is a skill that is underrated and often goes unnoticed Sharma ticks these boxes If he stays fit his best may yet be a few years away not always reflected in the figures His performances in South Africa last year speak to that truthImpact of Phils injuryIt will be interesting to see how the Phil Hughes accident affects the psyche of both teams leading into a series that is likely to be played more off the back foot The pitches are likely to be fast and bouncy the bowling hostile at timesWill that aggressive intent be tempered by the realities of the inherent dangers of the sport or will that just spook some batsmen even more The early footage from the Hughes incident though suggests that it wasnt raw pace that felled him mdash exactly the opposite in fact He looks to have been early on the shot With a few bowlers nudging 150 ks next week Im not convinced that too many will be early on hook shots henceforthOne of Indias problems will be their lowerorder batting There will be times when it gets scary trying to fend off Mitch Johnson Josh Hazlewood and Ryan Harris Will those few extra runs be worth the broken fingers cracked ribs and bruised shoulders Its all very well to talk about showing courage getting into line not taking your eye off the ball but when that red missile is thundering past your nose and you have flashbacks of the ambulance carting off poor Hughes it is not that easy to hold your nerve Englands tail were blown out of the water last summer and the Aussies know what length to bowlLearning from failuresThe Indian batsmen will need to learn from their flatfooted failures in England There it was swing more than seam that showed up their hard hands and lazy feet It will swing less here but whatever happens happens fast You can leave on length not line but if you become too defensive when the game eventually changes momentum you might find that youve gone nowhere Ive said this before mdash in Australia you dont often win a Test in a single session but you can easily lose a series in a short space of timeJoe DawesEngland learned that lesson on that brutal Friday afternoon at the Gabba last year between lunch and tea For all intents and purposes the Ashes were surrendered that afternoon Jonathan Trotts career in similar smouldering ruins India will cop some of that medicine too the key will be how much they can limit the damage when the crowd is baying for blood Indian blood Late afternoon at the Gabba can be an intimidating place as the beerfuelled crowd incite their heroes to crank it up an extra yard or twoGenerally speaking the toss has less of an impact in Australia poor weather notwithstanding Pitches dont crumble that much and whilst the first session can always be testing for the batsmen runs come steadily all day The peaks and troughs of the Subcontinent are less evident It is always helpful to win the toss of course but knowing what to do is not always selfevident Bat first and you could be blown away by tea West Indies at the Gabba November 2000 or you could be 300 runs to the worse and bleeding profusely England at the Gabba November 2006If the broadshouldered barrellchested Dawes optimism is anything to take heart from here is a man whose affection for India is evident in the way he talks up the team like a proud cousin If I was expecting anything negative I was disappointed All I got from him was a sense of time well spent in India and friends for life Theres respect there for Virat Kohli and Ishant Sharma in particular mdash India will need their broad shoulders and cool heads For the fiery Kohli especially he might do well to remember that revenge is a dish best served cold Not bold Or bowledMichael Jeh is a Brisbanebased former firstclass player