Justin Langer has said that his biggest aim while he is in charge as the head coach of the Australian cricket team is to win a test series in India.
The last time Australia won a test series in India was back in 2004 when Ricky Ponting was in charge of the Australian side and Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne were still active.
Since the retirement of those legends, the Kangaroos have really struggled to get the better of the Indians when playing in India.
Steve Smith’s side in 2017 had come close as they were levelled 1-1 ahead of the final game of the 4-match test series and the series could have gone anywhere from there.
However, an inspired performance by India in the last test match under the captaincy of the stand-in captain Ajinkya Rahane saw them seal the series 2-1.
The next test series that Australia have to play in India is a couple of years away and Langer thinks there is enough time for his boys to prepare for it.
According to Langer, unless they beat India in a test match series in India, they won’t call themselves a great cricket team.
“We will judge ourselves as a great cricket team if we beat India in India. It’s always been the case that it’s been hard to win in India. But that’s the expectation and we’ve got a couple of years now to find that maturity.” Langer was quoted saying by ESPNCricinfo.
Australia have faced difficult times in test cricket in the last 12 to 18 months as two of their vital players, Steve Smith and David Warner, were banned for ball tampering.
The Kangaroos, in that duration, lost a test series to Pakistan in UAE before losing to India in their own backyard. It was the first time ever that India beat them at home.
However, as Smith and Warner have come back, Australia are starting to look a more settled side. They recently retained the Ashes series in England with Smith scoring more than 700 runs in that series.
