Rohit Sharma and Co are all set to lock horns with ICC number 1 ranked Test team Australia in the four-match Test series. The two teams have produced some top-quality series in the past decade as India managed to outclass the Aussies on the last three occasions out of which two came Down Under in 2018-19 and 2020-21.
The stakes will be high as always once again for both teams when they face each other in the series opener starting from Thursday at Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur. The two teams are going through some injury crises in their camps and are looking to find the right combination to prove their supremacy over each other.
Also Read | India vs Australia, 1st Test: Spin on Everybody’s Mind at Jamtha
However, ahead of the first Test, a big noise around the pitch, which looks quite dry with a big patch which is expected to trouble the left-handed batters. India might play with just two left-handers in the XI – Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel, who will come down the order. But it’s almost contrasting for Australia who have the likes of David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Travis Head, Alex Carey and Matthew Renshaw in their batting line-up.
Without a ball being bowled, the Australian media and some former cricketers have already started complaining over the pitch as they are terming it as a ‘doctored’ or ‘unfair’ pitch for the opposition. This is not the first time when a pitch in India is produced to assist the spinners, but the bare patches at both ends at Jamtha has attracted the attention of cricket fans and critics. It has been reported that the patch has been created by the curators through selective watering, selective rolling, and selective mowing.
As the match progress, the Nagpur pitch is going to have some big cracks which are going to assist the spinners and India have some specialists in the department to trouble the Aussies.
Ian Healy Started The Pitch Drama And Got Bashed
The drama started when former Australian wicketkeeper Ian Healy stated that if India produced fair wickets then Australia will clinch the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
“I think if they produce fair Indian wickets, that are good batting wickets, to start with, (that) probably spin and spin pretty consistently but spin a long way, late in the match we (Australia) win,” Healy said on ‘SENQ Breakfast’.
“I’m worried about (Mitchell) Starc and (Nathan) Lyon in the first Test if they’re unfair wickets which I’ve seen in the last series, where balls were jumping ridiculously and sliding down low from day one, I think India play those conditions better than us,” he added.
However, he was bashed by his own countryman Ian Chappell and former India head coach Ravi Shastri for his comments.
“What Ian Healy said that Australia will have the advantage…a lot of that is based on what Australia has done at home. They’re not playing at home. They’re playing in India. Why anyone would think that India doesn’t start with an advantage, I don’t know,” Chappell said in a press conference.
Meanwhile, Shastri said he wants the ball to turn from Day 1 itself.
“You are speaking to an Indian here, who’s just been on two trips to Australia. I want the ball to turn from Day 1. From Day 1. If you lose the toss, so be it. If you are fielding first you would want to see the ball turning a bit. It’s your strength, capitalise on it,” Shastri said.
Former India head coach John Wright also hit back at Healy for his comments,” Countries playing at home are entitled to produce pitches to suit their own team. That’s not unfair it’s what makes Test cricket great #INDvsAUS #ianhealy,” Wright tweeted.
Veteran India spinner Harbhajan Singh also took a dig at the critics and tweeted,” India vs Australia is the biggest test series I think. But sadly pitches make more noise thn test Cricket. #Savetestcricket.”
Also Read | India Ready to Serve up Spin-Laden Obstacles to Thwart Australia’s Redemption Hopes
Australian Media and Former Cricketers React to Dry Patches
Recently, former Australia cricketer Simon O’Donnell has asked for an intervention from the International Cricket Council (ICC) over the preparation of the Nagpur pitch.
“The ICC should step in and do something about it, if they think it’s not right. If they think the pitch is not right, there’ll be an ICC referee at the game and the ICC will be watching this game,” O’Donnell said on SEN Breakfast show.
Captains all Focused to Embrace the Challenge
However, Australia captain Pat Cummins didn’t add any fuel to the fire and suggested that home advantage is not a terrible thing and it’s a challenge for the visitors to overcome.
“Not really,” Cummins said. “I think that’s part of the challenge of playing away. Home teams want to win at home. In Australia we’re lucky we’ve got pace and bounce. But home match advantage, I don’t think it’s a terrible thing. It’s just another challenge and it makes touring over here even harder when you know that the conditions are custom-made for them.”
In another press conference, he addressed the dry patch which is expected to trouble the left-handed batters but the Aussie captain was in no mood for any controversy and suggested that the southpaws will embrace the challenge.
“I think it looks a little bit dry for the left-handers and knowing how much traffic will probably go through there from the right-arm bowlers [from over the wicket]. Yeah, potentially might be a fair bit of rough out there. So, again, that’s something you’ve just got to embrace. It’s going to be fun. It’s going to be challenging at times, but our batters relish the chance to problem-solve on their feet and I think quite a few of them will get that chance this week,” he added.
While Indian captain Rohit Sharma advised the critics to focus on cricket and not to worry much about the pitch.
“Speaking about the [talk of a] doctored wicket, I just feel that you’ve got to focus on the cricket that’s going to be played for the next five days, and not worry too much about the pitch. The last series that we played here, a lot was spoken about the pitches and all that. I think all 22 cricketers who are going to play, they are all quality cricketers, so not to worry too much about what the pitch is going to be like, how much is it turning, how much is it seaming and all those kind of things. You’ve got to just come out and play good cricket and win the game, as simple as that,” Rohit said in the press conference.
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