-Atreyo Mukhopadhyay
It’s back where it started. In 1996, the India-Australia Test series was officially rechristened Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Firoz Shah Kotla, which has subsequently been named Arun Jaitley Stadium, was the venue for that one-off Test won by India. Since then, Delhi has hosted just one more Test of the marquee series, in 2013. The wait is set to end on Friday, when the second Test gets underway. Here is a quick look at the talking points ahead of the game…
What makes the occasion special: This is going to be Cheteshwar Pujara’s 100th Test appearance. He made his debut against Australia in 2010 and contributed 70-plus in a successive chase by India in the fourth innings. He has done well against the Aussies, averaging 52.77 in 21 Tests. This is higher than his career average of 44.15. To witness his landmark Test, about 20 of the batter’s family members, relatives and close friends will be at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. His wife Pooja will be there, with father Arvind and uncle Bipin, who both played Ranji Trophy for Saurashtra.
Why is Pujara’s journey unique? Unlike the other 12 who played 100 Tests for India, Pujara is a specialist for the longest format. He has been out of reckoning for a berth in the limited-over sides for a long time. He has also had to face unnecessary questions on his strike rate, ability to impose himself on the opposition. But he took all that in stride, played in the English County Championship to make up for the game time he would have lost in India, scored heavily over there and kept himself in contention for the No 3 slot in the Test side. This is easier said than done, but Pujara has shown grit and conviction in his abilities to come this far.
What to expect in the second Test: A turning pitch, to begin with. Isn’t it? In what might remain the template for this series, Delhi is also expected to welcome the visitors to a turf which will assist the Indian spinners. But this may be lesser than Nagpur. Delhi has had a long winter and unlike in Nagpur, the sun has not been that harsh for a number of days. This suggests that the surface will not be as dry as it was in the first Test. Having said that, it will offer turn and India in all likelihood will go in with the spin trio of Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel. For Australia, it will remain a trial by turn, in which they fared miserably in Nagpur.
Changes in India XI: Unless there are last-minute injuries or illnesses, Shreyas Iyer in place of Suryakumar Yadav will be the only change in the Indian XI. Iyer missed the first Test because of an injury and he had a long session of batting at the nets 48 hours before this game. On Thursday, he was seen doing a lot of catching practice, which indicates that he will indeed be back. Coach Rahul Dravid has already gone on record that if fit, Iyer walks into the XI. Iyer averages 56.72 in seven Tests and this figure is better when he is playing in the sub-continent. However, one can expect the Aussie fast bowlers to test him with short-pitched deliveries. KL Rahul is tipped to get one more chance as Rohit Sharma’s opening partner.
What about the Australian XI: There are selection and fitness-related headaches in the Aussie ranks. Josh Hazlewood is out. There are serious question marks over Cameron Green, whose absence has forced the team to play with just four bowlers. Although he bowled for long periods at the Delhi nets, captain Pat Cummins said that this all-rounder has attained 70% of match fitness. Potential match-winner Mitchell Starc bowled for a considerable period of time in Delhi after missing the first Test. But, Cummins did not commit when asked if this left-armer will make it to the XI. For a team battling batting fragilities, uncertainty over bowlers and all-rounders could not have had come at a worse time. And yes, Travis Head is expected to return after being surprisingly left out of the first Test.