With Smith and Warner gone, it's advantage Kohli and Co Down Under

Steve Smith and David Warner

Australia is one of two countries where India have not achieved a Test series win. South Africa is the other. Yesterday's decision by Cricket Australia to ban skipper Steven Smith and vice-captain David Warner from international and domestic cricket for a year due to their roles in the ball tampering scandal means the duo will not be in the team when India tour Australia for the 2018-19 Border-Gavaskar Trophy series later in the year. Cameron Bancroft, who was caught on camera in the Cape Town Test on Saturday, was banned for nine months.

Two good in 2014-15
Smith and Warner played a key role in the Australian team winning the 2014-15 series against India. Smith was near-unstoppable with 769 runs in four Tests. He slammed four centuries and averaged 128.16. He scored hundreds in the first two Tests and fell eight short of a double ton in the third Test at Melbourne. The No. 4 batsman highlighted the second day's play before being the last man out - bowled by Umesh Yadav for 192.

He scored 117 in the first innings of the fourth and final Test at Sydney which was a drawn affair. Smith led from the front and was adjudged man of the match and man of the series. "I really enjoyed this series, some pretty flat wickets and I have enjoyed batting. To make four hundreds in a series is very satisfying. I have really enjoyed captaining these guys, they played their hearts out today," said Smith on January 10, 2015.

Warner started the India series with a hundred in both innings of the opening Test in Adelaide where Australia won by 48 runs. His third hundred of the series came in the final Test at Sydney. Warner is a player who can turn a match on its head in a session and that's what he did against India in 2012 at the WACA ground in Perth with his century which came off only 69 balls, so the Indians will be relieved that they don't have to bowl to him during the next Australian summer.

Meanwhile, CA said that Smith and Bancroft will not be considered for team leadership positions until a minimum of 12 months after the end of their suspensions and Warner can never be a leader.

The three players will also have to rake in 100 hours doing voluntary service in community cricket. The absence of Smith and Bancroft will provide India more hope to break a 70-year jinx. India's first Test tour to Australia was in 1947-48 where Lala Amarnath's team were routed 4-0 by Don Bradman's formidable side. MAK Pataudi's Indians lost all four Tests in 1967-68 while Bishan Singh Bedi's men did well to win the third and fourth Tests of the 1977-78 series after losing the first two. The decider in Adelaide was won by Australia. After this thrilling series, the closest India came to winning a series in Australia was in 2003-04. The opening Test in Brisbane was drawn and India - for the first time in Australia - went one-up in Adelaide. Australia fought back and won the third Test in Melbourne. The final Test was drawn at Sydney where India dominated most of the time.

Time to thrive, says Ghavri
Karsan Ghavri who was part of the team in 1977-78 and 1980-81, reckoned the absence of Smith and Warner will hit Australia hard. "These are two quality players which we are talking about and it is a sure advantage for India when they tour Australia later in the year. I would say it is a great advantage," said Ghavri, who contributed to India's 1980-81 series-levelling win in Melbourne by sending back opposition captain Greg Chappell in both innings.

In 1999-2000 India lost all three Test matches. The time to dream and visualise an unprecedented series win Down Under is now.
With agency inputs

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