Australia might be preparing for the upcoming series against Pakistan but their head coach Justin Langer has his eyes set on defeating Virat Kohli’s team away from home in 2022.
This has been the driving force for the former opener ever since he was appointed as the head coach in 2018. After replacing Darren Lehman, Langer had then stated that he wants to build a team that is capable of conquering the ‘final frontier’.
“If I fast forward it, the Indian tour against India, the Test tour in three or four years’ time, to me that’s the ultimate. We will judge ourselves as a great cricket team if we beat India in India, ” said Langer in 2018.
Australia is the only team to have beaten India in the subcontinent in the past five years. During the 2017 series, the team from Down Under shocked Virat Kohli’s troops at Pune with a 333-run win. However, India came back to win the series by claiming victories in the remaining two games of the series.
With India occupying the top spot in the ICC Test rankings for the past 37 months, Langer acknowledges the intimidating nature of the challenge ahead.
“It reminds me of how hard it is, that’s for sure,” Langer told ESPNcricinfo. “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 I’m talking about, to be nice and battle hardened and as ready as possible for that series.”
In 2020, India will be travelling to Australia for a four-Test series. Avenging their home loss in 2018 would be the first order of business for Langer and his team.
