AUS vs IND: Adelaide’s pitch for the second Test expected to assist pacers & spinners

Adelaide Oval is all set to host the second Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, where India and Australia will clash in a historic Pink Ball Test. After India’s 295-run victory in Perth, the series has become more intense looking at the World Test Championship scenarios.

India will be looking to come back strong from their previous pink ball encounter in 2020, where they were bowled out for just 36 runs, making it their lowest Test score in history. However, that tour ultimately ended in a remarkable 2-1 series victory for India.

Australia, on the other hand, enters the match with a good record in day-night Test matches as they remain unbeaten in pink-ball Tests. The home team’s pace attack, led by Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Scott Boland, has been particularly lethal under lights, claiming 11 wins in 12 pink ball matches.

The Adelaide pitch is expected to be a challenging surface that could assist both pace bowlers and spinners. Traditional pink ball Tests have shown that the ball behaves differently under lights. With the surface likely to offer some help, both teams will be keen to exploit any early advantages.

For India, Jasprit Bumrah will be a critical weapon. His pink ball numbers are impressive with 10 wickets at an average of 14.50 in just three matches. Ravichandran Ashwin, if selected, has picked 18 wickets in four pink ball matches at an average of 13.83.

Furthermore, for Australia, Mitchell Starc leads the pack with 66 wickets in 12 pink ball matches, averaging 18.71. Scott Boland and Pat Cummins have also been brilliant, adding depth to Australia’s bowling lineup. The match will also be a test for India’s newer players like Mohammed Siraj, Harshit Rana, and Nitish Kumar Reddy, who have no previous day-night Test experience. The hosts will be without the services of Hazlewood for this Test as he suffered a ‘low-grade left-side injury. This might see Australia going in with Boland, who missed the Perth Test.

This will be Hazlewood’s first absence from a home Test against India. For the first time since the Sydney Test of 2015, Australia will be without one of the four key players, Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, and Nathan Lyon in a home BGT match. The quartet featured together in nine successive home Tests against India.