IND vs AUS LIVE Test Series: India vs Australia Test Series – Final practice for the Nagpur Test is today. The pitch curator has obliged to Rahul Dravid’s request and made some last-minute changes to suit more spin. India is finally opting for the Rank turner pitch at Nagpur. This will prompt India to field as many as 4 spinners for the game. Hence, India are expected to go with one pacer less. Hence, only Mohammad Shami and Mohammed Siraj will play. Axar Patel will come in. As for Australia, Cameron Green will miss the 1st Test. Follow IND vs AUS LIVE Updates on Insidesport.IN
In what appeared to be a green top for Nagpur Pitch, the grass is likely to be cut off as the hosts will offer Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav to weave their magic.
Regarding Cameron Green, Steve Smith said: “He hasn’t faced even the fast bowlers so he’s very unlikely to play the 1st Test”
WTC Final Race: Last MILE of World Test Championships Finals Race begins Thursday,…
IND vs AUS LIVE: Batters skip FINAL practice session, only spinners & Unadkat put in hard yards in Nagpur: Follow LIVE Updates
“We want to maximise our advantage and prepare turners. Spinners are our biggest strength and we should give them the best conditions to bowl and get wickets,” a source in the team told IndianExpress
“Of course, the team will make the final call on the eleven on the eve of the match, or in the morning after having final look at the wicket, but four spinners are certainly in our plans, as we have four quality spinners in the team,” the source added.
Though the final change is yet to be decided, the 4 spinners practiced hard ahead of the game. As for the batters, both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were spotted practicing reverse sweeps to counter Nathan Lyon. This further proves that the pitch will be of great assistance to the spin department.
IND vs AUS LIVE: Batters skip FINAL practice session, only spinners & Unadkat put in hard yards in Nagpur: Follow LIVE Updates
Why India are opting for 4 spinners?
Ashwin & Jadeja – It is no surprise that the duo will be one of the first names that will be drafted in the Playing XI. Now a mainstay in Red ball cricket, Ashwin is one of the best all-rounders currently. Able with the bat and equally brilliant with the ball, he is a regular wicket-taker, who provides crucial breaks for the hosts.
Ravindra Jadeja, on his return from a knee injury, will be raring to go at the opposition. The all-rounder featured for Saurashtra and scalped wickets on his very first game in the Ranji Trophy. Jadeja’s ability to break partnerships and spin the ball in broken tracks will be another added boost for India.
IND vs AUS PITCH: RANK TURNER in Nagpur with WTC Final, World No.1 Rank at stake, Rohit Sharma and Co look to ‘maximise’ home advantage in Border Gavaskar Trophy – Follow India vs Australia LIVE updates
Axar Patel & Kuldeep – The duo of Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav will be next in line to deal a big blow to the Aussies. Axar not only is a good hitter of the ball, but his ability to turn the ball in slow Indian pitches is deadly. With the Nagpur pitch scheduled to offer a turn, the visitors will face a tough time tackling Axar.
Kuldeep Yadav on the other hand has been in sensational form off late. He featured for India in Test a while ago on the tour of Bangladesh. There he managed to bag 8 wickets in the first Test at Chattogram. He continued his fine form in the ODI series against SriLanka and both ODI and T20I series against NewZealand. Armed with unique spinning skills and fuelled by a red-hot form, Kuldeep will be India’s 4th spinner to face the Australian squad.
IND vs AUS LIVE: Batters skip FINAL practice session, only spinners & Unadkat put in hard yards in Nagpur: Follow LIVE Updates
India vs Australia Nagpur Pitch Dilema
- It was initially understood that the Pitch in Nagpur will be a green top.
- This essentially meant that both Jadeja and Ashwin will be the two primary spinners.
- However, the latest reports claim, that the green top would be cut off to provide a rank turner.
- This means India will opt for 4 specialized spinners – Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav.
- India are desperate to WIN at home and qualify for the WTC Finals.
On Nagpur’s red soil pitch, batting is recommended for the first three days unless a ferocious turner appears. While it is no dirt track, given the team’s request, expect the ball to start turning from Day 1 itself. In 2015, all 20 South African wickets were taken by spin in Nagpur. In the most recent Test here, against Sri Lanka in 2017, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja each claimed eight and five wickets, respectively.
The aim for India is very simple. India wants to dominate the mighty Australians and win the series at all costs. This not only will help India inch closer to the ICC No. 1 rankings but will also help Rohit Sharma and Co qualify as the second team in the WTC finals. As the former BCCI President told News18 Bangla, “India is a different beast at home, They will win, it will be very difficult to beat India at home.”
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