IND vs AUS: The much-awaited Border Gavaskar Trophy is all set to kick off on Thursday, February 9. The first test will take place at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur. As usual, the talk heading into the series has been about the nature of wickets. Both Team India and Australia players’ comments have fueled the spark.
Team India skipper Rohit Sharma and the likes of Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja are back in the squad. However, the hosts will be without the services of Jasprit Bumrah and Shreyas Iyer. Both haven’t recovered from injuries and will not be a part of the first two Tests. Just like the Indian team, Australia too has been reeling from injuries. The likes of Cameron Green, Mitchell Starc, and Josh Hazlewood are ruled out for the first Test.
Despite the absence of a few of the star players, the Border Gavaskar Trophy is expected to be a cracker of a series. Let’s take a look at the Match details, predicted playing XIs, pitch report, and fantasy team suggestions.
Match Details
Details: India vs Australia, Border Gavaskar Trophy, First Test
Venue: Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur
Date and Time: Thursday, February 9, 9:30 AM IST
Pitch Report
Over the last few days, the pitch has been the point of debate in the cricketing world. It is expected to assist the spinners, however, the pacers have had the upper hand in the last three tests. The first-innings score at the ground was 323. The team that wins the toss is likely to bat first, keeping in the mind the role of spinners in the fourth innings.
Match Prediction
A high-profile game awaits as both teams will try to win the game. While India have the upperhand considering the home advantage, Australia will leave no stone unturned. Betway has also placed its odds in favour of a draw at 4.33.
India (IND) vs Australia (AUS) – Predicted Playing XI
India: Rohit Sharma (C), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, Suryakumar Yadav/Shubman Gill, KS Bharat, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami
New Zealand: Pat Cummins (C), Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, David Warner, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Alex Carey, Ashton Agar, Scott Boland, Nathan Lyon, Lance Morris
Fantasy Team Suggestions – IND vs AUS
Team 1: Alex Carey, Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara (C), Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Travis Head, Axar Patel, Nathan Lyon (VC), Mohammed Siraj
Team 2: Alex Carey, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, David Warner, Steve Smith (VC), Marnus Labuschagne, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin (C), Travis Head, Nathan Lyon, Mohammed Shami
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