Australia will take on India in the second Test match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2023, scheduled to begin on February 17 at Delhi's Arun Jaitley Stadium.
India won the opening Test match by an innings and 132 runs, taking a crucial 1-0 lead in the four-match series.
The dominant performance by the hosts in the Nagpur Test has made them favorites to win the second match as well.
Australia will hope for a quick turnaround after the mauling in Nagpur, while India looks to repeat last week's performance.
Despite K.L. Rahul's recent struggles, India are still the overwhelming favourites to secure another three-day finish in Delhi.The second Test will be a milestone for Cheteshwar Pujara, who will play his 100th Test match after 13 years of playing international cricket. He has been a thorn in Australia's side over the last three series and will be keen to make amends for his uncharacteristic shot in Nagpur.Apart from Rohit Sharma, who scored a century in the first Test, most of the Indian batsmen failed to deliver. Virat Kohli, who is usually peerless, also struggled, along with Pujara and Rahul. Shreyas Iyer is set to return to the middle at the expense of Suryakumar Yadav, and with young talent like Shubman Gill waiting in the wings, there is pressure on some of the senior batters to perform.India have a good record at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, having not lost a Test there since 1987 when they were beaten by West Indies. Ravi Ashwin has been successful at this venue, with 27 wickets at an average of 20.11 in just four Tests.
Australia
Australia are facing a number of challenges and will need to resolve their issues if they hope to compete against India. While one loss doesn't make Pat Cummins' side a bad team, a rebound victory would be quite an accomplishment.One of Australia's key concerns is the lack of runs from David Warner in Test matches. His dismissal in the last match, where his off-stump was sent flying by Mohammed Shami, was not a pretty sight, and it remains to be seen if he will get another chance. Nathan Lyon, on the other hand, will look to draw on his past success in Delhi, where he took 7 for 94.It will also be interesting to see whether Australia opt to play three spinners, having brought in left-arm spinner Matt Kuhnemann to the squad. If all-rounder Cameron Green is fit, there is a possibility that Australia could field three specialist spinners. Mitchell Starc, if available, could replace Scott Boland on the Kotla pitch, which is unlikely to offer much assistance to the pacers.
IND vs AUS - BGT - Probable Playing XI's
India: KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ravi Jadeja, KS Bharat, Ravi Ashwin, Axar Patel, Mohammad Shami, Mohammad SirajAustralia: David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Peter Handscomb, Cameron Green, Alex Carey, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Nathan Lyon, Todd Murphy
IND vs AUS - BGT - Pitch Report and Toss Prediction
Delhi's pitch has a history of being conducive to spin bowlers and is likely to deteriorate as the match progresses. Winning the toss and electing to bat first would be the preferred choice for teams. The last Test played at this ground in 2017 resulted in a high-scoring draw where Sri Lanka was able to bat out more than 100 overs in the second innings.
IND vs AUS - BGT - Match Prediction
Australia are on the ropes after a humiliation in Nagpur and staring down the barrel. Their batting against the Indian spinners has to vastly improve if they are to make a comeback but it is looking highly unlikely. India, on the other hand, are well set and have been strengthened by the addition of Shreyas Iyer. We predict a comfortable victory for Team India.
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