After suffering a 333-run defeat in Pune which was hosting its first-ever Test, it is quite likely that Virat Kohli would not be very keen to play on a new Test venue. But the India skipper can do little about it and he fully understands it.
The world No. 1 team was thoroughly outplayed on the Pune surface that was compared with the ‘surface of Mars’ by spin legend Shane Warne. Australia spinners – Steve O’Keefe and Nathan Lyon – wreaked havoc as the Indian batsmen were bowled out for 105 and 107 in both their innings to concede a 1-0 lead in the four-match series.
But Virat Kohli’s men bounced back in style when they took on the Aussies in familiar conditions at Bengaluru’s M. Chinnaswamy stadium. They were bowled out for a paltry 189 in the first innings but staged a remarkable comeback to level the series with a 75-run win. And Kohli would expect a similar performance from his teammates when they lock horns against Steve Smith’s men in Jharkhand State Cricket Association Stadium (JSCA) at Ranchi, another venue hosting its first-ever Test match.
“We can’t do much about the Ranchi pitch, you know how it’s always been,” the 28-year-old said after the victory in Bengaluru.
“It’s always been slow and low, they know exactly what to expect there and we know what to expect as well. It’s how you mentally prepare, mentally what kind of zone you are in as a team,” he added.
The 28-year-old also hopes his spinners would be up to the task in the remaining matches of the home season.
Both Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin have played an integral role in India’s dominant performance in the ongoing home season and once again proved their worth by taking a six-wicket haul each during the Bengaluru Test.
“The spinners have been outstanding and they will definitely look to back their strengths and dominate the home season as they’ve done so far,” Kohli said.
Meanwhile,the Jharkhand State Cricket Association Stadium has prepared three wickets for the upcoming Test. The first two matches ended inside three and four days, with the bowlers making merry on turning pitches but pitch curator SB Singh is confident the pitch in the upcoming Test will last for five days.
“The team will choose the strip two days before the match,” Singh told NDTV channel.
“The pitch will suit both the batsmen and bowlers, and will definitely last five days,” he added.
The third match of the Border-Gavaskar series will begin on March 16.