Australia will be looking to follow England’s example when they run out for the second Test against India in Hyderabad on Friday, looking to come back from a game down to take the series in emphatic fashion.
Just like against England, India won the first Test convincingly, with spinner Ravi Ashwin doing the bulk of the damage. England then went on to take the series 2-1, and the Aussies will be hoping Hyderabad’s quicker deck will help them do the same.
The Chennai pitch was a nightmare for the visitors as it deteriorated rapidly, with Ashwin taking full advantage. He will likely do some damage this time too, and it remains to be seen who his partner will be.
Will the selectors stick with sentimental favourite Harbhajan Singh, or get premier tweaker Pragyan Ojha back in the side? Or will they give all three a go? It’s unlikely they’ll drop a fast bowler though, given the reputedly quicker wicket.
The Aussies are rumoured to be sticking with the same side that lost the first game, and Nathan Lyon in particular will be relieved by that. He was poor in Chennai, going for over 200 runs in one innings, and certainly made Ashwin’s spin look even better than it was.
Moises Henriques will be eager to show his debut Test wasn’t a fluke, as he scored twin half centuries and was the sole reason his side avoided an innings defeat. He and Michael Clarke were the only batsmen who seemed to get a handle on the Indian conditions.
Home fans were thrilled to see two of their favourite batsmen find some form, with Sachin Tendulkar rediscovering some magic of old with an 81. It wasn’t a century, and he’s been waiting over two years for another Test ton, but it was a start.
Virat Kohli was also impressive after a poor run of form, and will look to add to the century he scored in Chennai.
For India, it will be tough to call on anyone other than Ravichandran Ashwin to be the key player. There is no-one more potent on home soil, and his 12-wicket haul will have given him extra impetus to be the series’ top wicket taker.
The Aussies will once again look to skipper Michael Clarke to do the damage with the bat. His 130 in Chennai was in vain, but it would have been even more of a humiliation without it, and Australia will need another gritty knock from him.
Teams
India (probable): Virender Sehwag, Murali Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (capt and wk), R Ashwin, Harbhajan Singh/Pragyan Ojha, Ishant Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Australia (probable): David Warner, Ed Cowan, Phillip Hughes, Shane Watson, Michael Clarke (captain), Matthew Wade (wicketkeeper), Moises Henriques, Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc, James Pattinson, Nathan Lyon
Umpires: Kumar Dharmasena and Marais Erasmus
Third umpire:S Ravi
Match referee: Chris Broad
