India vs Australia, Border-Gavaskar Trophy: 4 things to look forward to at Nagpur test match

Will the pitch bewitch Aussie (and Indian) batters?

One can be certain that the pitch will turn at some point in time. The question is when and how much. Even before a ball has been bowled, the Nagpur pitch has been at the centre of all discussion.

Pictures of parts of the pitch not being rolled have caused outrage in some Australian circles – with journalist Robert Craddock going as far as calling the pitch doctored. “If you start multi-preparing parts of the deck that’s straight-up pitch doctoring, it’s poor,” said Craddock.

On the other hand, Indians have hit back, stating that every country creates pitches to its own advantage. “No excuses, just get on with it, at the end of three days no one’s going to get killed on that surface. The quality of the camera lenses is so good, they can make green grass look brown, that’s what you expect in India, come on,” said former India coach, Ravi Shastri. Previously, Shastri had waded into the debate when he said that “he wants the ball to turn from day one”.

Notably, differently preparing different parts of the pitch is not uncommon. The Indian Express reported that “ the entire surface was first watered, then only the centre of the pitch got the roller treatment, and extra watering done outside the left-hander’s leg stump.”

The leftie-dominated Australian batting lineup’s Ashwin problem

From Arthus Morris, all the way back in the 1940s, to David Warner today, Australia has a history of producing top-class left-handed batters. The current Australian team has as many as five lefties in its top order: Usman Khawaja, David Warner, Travis Head, Alex Carey and Matt Renshaw. This is a problem, especially while facing R. Ashwin.

Ashwin is a fantastic bowler overall, but against left-handers, his record is unparalleled in the history of test cricket. In 2021, he became the very first bowler to pick up 200 wickets against left-handers in test match cricket.

In his career, he has an average well under 20 against lefties and has ended a few promising test careers of young left-handers. Take for instance Aussie Ed Cowan who played 18 tests at an overall average of 31 in the early 2010s. Against Ashwin, he averaged slightly above 16. Had Cowan never faced Ashwin, he would have averaged well above 40, possibly getting a much longer rope than he was given. In his test career, Ashwin bowled nearly 13 per cent of all deliveries faced by Cowan and dismissed him seven times.

How Australians will play Ashwin will be crucial in determining the outcome of the test match and indeed the series.

Pant’s absence and the Kuldeep-Axar dilemma

Neither side will field their first choice eleven in the Nagpur test and possibly in the whole BGT. India will sorely miss Rishabh Pant’s attacking punch in the middle order for the foreseeable future. Jasprit Bumrah and Shreyas Iyer are also set to miss the first test of the series.

India has the option of playing either Ishan Kishan (an aggressive left-handed batter like Pant, but a weaker keeper) or KS Bharath (a highly touted keeper with far less batting upside) in place of Pant. A left-field choice would be to make KL Rahul keep and play an extra batter or bowler instead, though in turning conditions there is a premium on being good with the gloves.

India also has another selection headache. With Ashwin and Jadeja being near certainties to start, Axar and Kuldeep will vie for the third spinner’s slot. While Axar is definitely better with the bat and has impressed in the opportunities he has received in Jadeja’s absence, Kuldeep offers variety as a left-arm wrist spinner.There is a scenario where all four might play, but that will require India to play a batter less and Jadeja or Ashwin to bat at number six. Also, the benefit of playing four spinners is questionable as all four will ideally want to bowl long spells.

India’s problems against spin

While traditionally reputed as excellent players of spin, off late, India’s record against spin is sub-par, to say the least. Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and even Cheteshwar Pujara have struggled against the turning ball at various times. In fact, India will be missing arguably its strongest players of spin in Iyer and Pant. This will mean that the rest of the batters will have to step up.

Virat Kohli, in particular, is a peculiar case of a player who suddenly stopped playing well against spin. He has been troubled by multiple spinners in recent times including part-timers such as Moeen Ali. Apart from Nathan Lyon, Australia’s spinners are not among the very best in the world. That being said, the Aussies have an interesting opportunity to put pressure on the Indian lineup, especially if the ball rags from day one.

Conventional wisdom says that the more the surface aids spinners, the better are India’s chances. But that might not be the case anymore. A track that really aids spinners is likely to even out the discrepancies between the two sides’ bowling units. Similarly, with Indians not being dominant against spin anymore, the two batting lineups might both struggle.

Absence of Green, Starc and Hazlewood throws off the side’s balance

India is not the only side with selection dilemmas.

Australia will miss all-rounder Cameron Green, and pacers Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood for the first test. Green’s absence deprives them of a lot of flexibility. While captain Pat Cummins, Scott Boland and Nathan Lyon will be three of Australia’s bowlers, Australia will have to pick at least one (preferably two) of Ashton Agar, Mitchell Swepson, Todd Murphy and Lance Morris – all of whom have various question marks around them.

Mitch Swepson and Todd Murphy are relatively inexperienced spinners. Swepson is a slow right-arm wrist spinner – the kind of bowler who has traditionally underperformed on subcontinental surfaces (think of Warne’s record in India). On the other hand, Murphy’s off-spin is quite similar to Lyon’s and might be targeted by a batting lineup full of right-handers.

Agar is an experienced left-arm orthodox bowler who can do a little with the bat but has so far underwhelmed as a test cricketer. Lance Morris is a gun-fast bowler but still very raw – it will be interesting to see how he bowls in far from helpful conditions.

Australia must also choose between Peter Handscomb and Alex Carey at wicketkeeper – while Carey has been in favour of late, the time will be wise to pick Handscomb to add an extra right-handed batter in the middle order.