The opening Test of the four-match series between Australia and India is scheduled to begin on February 9 in Nagpur. Due to the controversy surrounding the surface that will be used for the game, the match at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium was in the news even before it began. According to a report in Fox Cricket, on-site reporters asserted that just the center of the Nagpur wicket was watered and rolled, while the precise location that left-handed spinners will target was left dry. According to reports, such a move was made at both ends of the wicket, and left-handers like David Warner, Usman Khawaja, and Travis Prior were allegedly targeted.
In response to the publication of such studies, a number of former Australian players and analysts have criticized India. Wasim Jaffer, a former Indian hitter, has made a funny jab at the Australian media amid the continuing debate over the Nagpur pitch. On Twitter, he posted a collage showing how the Australian media had been covering the Nagpur pitch as though it were the uneven surface of Mars.
pc: @MarsCuriosity #INDvAUS #BGT2023 pic.twitter.com/Uitn7q16me
— Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14) February 8, 2023
Spinners will undoubtedly receive a lot of assistance from the surface given the dry pitch. As a result, the Indian squad is allegedly aiming to field three spinners in their starting lineup. The final choice, though, has not yet been decided.
Notable players including Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, and Axar Patel are available for the Rohit Sharma-led team. While Ashton Agar, Nathan Lyon, Todd Murphy, and Mitchell Swepson are alternatives for a spin for Australia, who have toured with an 18-member squad. Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, and Steve Smith, among others, are also available to bowl for the visitors on a part-time basis.
