Australia In India: It Promises To Be A Series To Remember
Holding an extreme view and carting the ball out of the park is what interests him most. He is a hard hitter at all times. Fasten your seatbelts and read.
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By Slogger
First publised on 2023-02-06 11:24:15
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Holding an extreme view and carting the ball out of the park is what interests him most. He is a hard hitter at all times. Fasten your seatbelts and read.
View all posts by this Author
As Australia and India gear up to play what promises to be a fiercely fought 4-match Test series in India, fans are also gearing up to witness Test cricket at its best between two highly talented and competitive teams who are currently ranked number one and two respectively in both the ICC Test Team Rankings and World Test Team Championship cycle. Both the teams are strategizing and practicing hard ahead of the first Test in Nagpur from Thursday, February 9.
The Australians have decided not to play any warm-up games this time as they said that the Indian board provided them with green tops in such matches whereas the Test pitches were prepared for spinners. Instead, they have acquired the services of spinners, including Maheesh Pithiya who is famous as being an Ashwin clone as he bowls like the famous Indian spinner R Ashwin who troubles the Australians with his turn and bounce. The Australians have a strong squad this time which includes old warhorses like Steve Smith and David Warner who have performed well in India along with Peter Handscomb who has been recalled for his experience in Indian conditions. They have also included four spinners in the squad.
The Indians, on the other hand, have a settled team and with Shubman Gill in the form of his life, the opening slot is also sealed. Virat Kohli has also regained his form and the Indian top order in Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kolhi, K L Rahul, Ishan Kishan/K S Bharat looks good although Rishabh Pant will be missed. Then, with Ravindra Jadeja who is back in the squad and R Ashwin bringing up the lower middle order, the batting department looks solid. If India plays either three or four spinners then Axar Patel or Kuldeep Yadav or both will get a chance otherwise seamers will be picked. There is no doubt that India will sorely miss Jasprit Bumrah who is out of the first two Tests.
There is a lot at stake in the series. Both teams would like to seal their place in the ICC Test Championship final although India will have to do more heavy lifting. India will have to win the series 3-1 or better to ensure them of a sure place in the final. Australia, on the other hand, will reach the final even if they lose all four Test in India and then Sri Lanka win both their matches in New Zealand (both of which are unlikely scenarios) In fact, Australia will reach the final if they manage to draw two Tests in India or win one. India, on the other hand, will have to depend on the results of matches of other countries if it does not win the series against Australia by 3-1, 3-0 or 4-0. Hence, India needs to perform well and win at least three Tests to qualify for the finals without waiting for the results of the New Zealand-Sri Lanka or South Africa-West Indies matches.
