Australia is in India to play four-match Test series which starts on Thursday at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune will make a debut in Test format by hosting Test Number 2250 in cricket history to add it as a significant landmark for India and equally for its country’s cricket governing body – Board of Control for Cricket In India (BCCI).
The Number Two side in Tests, Australia is aware of the formidable India who are ranked Number One in the ICC Test Rankings, who had an unbeaten run in 19 Tests so far and the hosts’ players have been adding impressive records under the dynamic leadership of Virat Kohli.
Pune won’t be a featherbed for the Test game despite leaking runs in the first ODI of three-match series which saw India and England piling up 700-odd runs in the game. The format is different and so is the idea of a curator.
The stage is set as the time has come to answer the critics and elate fans with the bat or a ball. The much-talked press conferences are over. The mind games have been shelved as it’s the time to face-off to prove their mettle for both teams.
Not the fodder for imaginations, it’s time to whet the appetite for runs and wickets.
Pune is termed as the home to spinners; there is enough on offer on a slow track which would test the visitors especially their middle-order line-up so as the home side.
Earlier, known as Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium, interestingly Pune hosted the first ever One-day International match in October 2013, between India-Australia which the visitors won by 72 runs.
The last ODI on the same venue was played on January 15 this year between England-India which hosts won by three wickets and 11 balls to spare.
The first Twenty20 game was played in December 2012 between India and England followed by the last T20 in February 2016 between India and Sri Lanka.
Last time the surface was as flat as a marble floor, the highest total in Pune in the 50-over format is 356 for seven in 48.1 overs which India set in the recently concluded three-match ODI series.
What we can expect: A mildly hot weather and fighting spirit from both the teams in Pune would be an ideal situation for the spectators to throng the stadium in huge numbers.
Pitch Box: Given the home conditions which traditionally are spin-friendly, any team’s skipper winning the toss would definitely like to bat first and put on plenty of runs on the board, on the wicket which would go slower and slower a day after another.
The rough marks created by bowlers while delivering the marathon of overs would assist the team bowling last as oddballs might keep low and sudden bounce might undo the batsmen. It’s expected the bowler would also reverse a bit.
Stats Book:
Virat Kohli has smashed six centuries against Australia in Tests.
As Pune is making a debut in Test, it will become India’s 25th Test venue when India-Australia will take on the field on Thursday. However, Australia has the list of nine venues in Tests.
The 67-year-old chief curator of Pune ground Pandurang Salgaoncar was one of the prominent fast bowlers in 1970s in Indian domestic cricket. He has bagged 214 wickets in 63 first-class games.
It’s all about Number One and Two: The top two Test teams; India and Australia and then the top-two ranked Test batsmen are playing in the same Test in the form of Steven Smith and Virat Kohli and both as skippers.
The top-ranked Test bowlers are also playing in the same Test in the form of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.
Peter Handscomb averages 99.75 in four Tests so far.
Team India:
Ranked 1st in Tests
Strength: Batting & Spin Bowling
Probable XI India: Virat Kohli (Skipper), Murali Vijay, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Wriddhiman Saha (Wicket-keeper), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav and Jayant Yadav.
Team Australia:
Ranked 2nd in Tests
Strength: Pace Bowling
Probable Playing XI Australia: Steve Smith (Skipper), David Warner, Matt Renshaw, Peter Handscomb, Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, Matthew Wade (Wicket-keeper), Nathan Lyon, Steve O’Keefe, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood.
India Squad: V Kohli (C), R Ashwin, RA Jadeja, B Kumar, A Mukund, KK Nair, HH Pandya, CA Pujara, AM Rahane, KL Rahul, WP Saha (WK), I Sharma, M Vijay, J Yadav and UT Yadav.
Australia Squad: SPD Smith (C), DA Warner, AC Agar, JM Bird, PSP Handscomb, JR Hazlewood, MS Wade (WK) UT Khawaja, NM Lyon, MR Marsh, SE Marsh, GJ Maxwell, SNJ O’Keefe, MT Renshaw, MA Starc and MJ Swepson.
When and Where: Thursday, February 23-27 2017; 9:30 pm IST – Pune, Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA), Stadium.