AUS vs IND: Visual of Perth pitch for first BGT Test out, pic goes viral
An image of the Perth pitch for the first Test between Australia and India for the impending Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 has been going rounds on social media. Notably, the hosts have prepared a green wicket and are watering it well before the opening game. The surface at Optus Stadium in Perth has traditionally helped the seamers and the trend is likely to continue, as the viral picture suggests.
Notably, India has a 100 percent track record at Optus and that should give the players some confidence. The batting unit has failed to live up to the expectations in recent times and that’s a concern, but the visitors have had a few good practice sessions at WACA Ground nets. However, KL Rahul and Shubman Gill injured themselves during match simulations, and, the latter is reported to be ruled out of the upcoming Test. Captain Rohit Sharma is expected to miss as well, given the birth of his second child earlier in the week.
Both sets of bowling units, meanwhile, will enjoy having a go at the batters in Perth, given the assistance expected to be on offer. The trio of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Josh Hazlewood would be hoping to put up a good show, while the onus heavily lies on Jasprit Bumrah in the Indian camp. Mohammed Siraj will partner him, but the pacer isn’t in very good form. Meanwhile, either Prasidh Krishna or Harshit Rana is expected to be the third pacer for India.
Watch the pitch for the Perth Test here:
Given the conditions, the visitors are also considering playing an extra seamer in Nitish Kumar Reddy. In that case, the all-rounder will be batting at eight, replacing either Ravichandran Ashwin or Ravindra Jadeja. Reddy has played 23 first-class games so far in his career, scoring 779 runs and picking up 56 wickets.
The focus however will remain on India’s batting unit that hasn’t fared well in the last home series against New Zealand. The surface in Perth won’t be kind either, and their performance with the bat will decide the fate of the game.
