Australia Tour of India 2023: India vs Australia – 2nd Test Preview and Updates

Cricket

Following an easy game in Nagpur, Rohit Sharma’s India will face Australia in the second test on February 17th at 9:30 a.m. at Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. India has taken a 1-0 lead in the four-match test series with a 132-run victory at Nagpur. The test will be the 100th for Indian top-order batter Cheteshwar Pujara.

In the first Test, Australia won the toss and chose to bat first. Ravindra Jadeja, making his comeback after an eight-month absence, took his 11th five-for by dismissing the entire Australian middle order. With 49 runs on 123 deliveries, Labuschagne was the standout performer in the Australian camp. Ravi Ashwin also took his 450th test wicket, catching Alex Carrey behind the legs.

Indian captain Rohit Sharma finally got his long-awaited Test century. Rohit scored 120 runs, including 15 fours and two sixes. The heroic batting of Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel then hurt Australia. Both left-handers hit half-centuries to help India reach 400. Tod Murphy, making his debut, took 7 wickets for 124 runs. India dominated Australia in the third innings, leading by 223 runs. This time, it was Ravi Ashwin who took 5 wickets to dismiss the Australian batters for 91 runs.

With the victory, India improved their chances of qualifying for the World Test Championship Final for the second time in a row. They also become the number one Test team by defeating Australia. They are now the best team in all formats. What a time to accomplish this feat as they prepare for the second Test, where they haven’t lost a test since 1987. It makes them the clear favourite to win the Test.

The 2nd Test between India vs Australia will take place on February 17th, 2023 at Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi.

Match Details to Note

Match: India vs Australia, 2nd Test, Australia Tour of India 2023

Date: February 17, 2023 (Friday)

Time: 9:30 AM IST

Venue: Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi

India vs Australia

India (Match Odds – 1.30):

Preview:

Rohit Sharma will almost certainly open with KL Rahul. Sharma has scored centuries in both of his last two innings (one against New Zealand in the ODI and one in the first Test). He now has an average of over 75 in 31 innings in India, with 8 centuries and 6 half-centuries. He has only one fifty in the last ten innings. However, his six half-centuries in the last eight innings of the Border Gavaskar Trophy in India will give him enough leverage over Shubman Gill, who is on a roll with the bat. Virat Kohli is returning to his home ground after a six-year absence. At Delhi, Kohli has the most runs. He has 467 runs scored in 6 innings, including a double century.

Cheteshwar Pujara will play his 100th Test match. Only four batters have played more Test deliveries since Pujara’s debut. In his career, he has contributed 30.6% of the runs scored by his team and 33.4% of the balls played. If Suryakumar Yadav is declared fit, Shreyas Iyer could replace him in the squad. India has batting depth until number nine with Ravindra Jadeja, Ravi Ashwin, and Axar Patel. Not to mention Shami’s 36-run performance in the first Test.

India’s strategy in the first Test was three spinners and two seamers. They appear to be sticking to their plan. In four tests in Delhi, Ravi Ashwin has 27 wickets. Ashwin has risen to second in the bowler rankings after claiming his 31st five-for. He also has 97 wickets in 19 Tests against Australia. On the other hand, the world’s number one all-rounder Jadeja has two centuries and two half-centuries with the bat and 17 wickets with the ball in his last four tests. The pace attack will be led by Mohammed Shami and Siraj.

Full Squad:

Rohit Sharma(c), KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Srikar Bharat(w), Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, Kuldeep Yadav, Umesh Yadav

Players to watch out for:

Cheteshwar Pujara, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja

Possible Playing XI:

KS Bharath (wk), KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma (c), Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, Shreyas Iyer/Suryakumar Yadav, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami

Australia (Match Odds – 3.55):

Preview:

Australia will face a difficult battle in Delhi. Warner, Smith, and Lyon are the only current squad members who have played a Test in Delhi. Australia’s openers will be Usman Khwaja and Warner. Khawaja is Australia’s leading run scorer in the current WTC cycle, but he averages less than 28 in Tests against India. In the first Test, Marnus Labuschagne appeared to be in good spirits. In 11 innings, Labuschagne has scored 530 runs against India.

Steve Smith will be our pick for Australia’s best batter. Smith averages 72.16 in 15 tests against India, with 8 centuries and 5 half-centuries. Smith has the highest average (60.16) among Australian players in India, with nearly one 50-plus score per test. Australia was without Travis Head in the first Test, as Peter Handscomb struggled with the bat. With Cameron Green’s chances of returning looking slim, they should prefer Head over Hands in the second test.

Tod Murphy, a debutant, wowed everyone with his brilliant performance on the first test. Murphy took seven wickets for 124 runs. The spin-friendly wickets have compelled Australia to call up Matthew Kuhnemann. Nathan Lyon is our pick as the best bowler. Lyon’s bowling was marred by four dropped catches. However, WTC’s leading wicket-taker (63) has 9 wickets in his only test at Delhi. Pat Cummins, the world number one bowler, will be looking forward to working with Mitchell Starc, who missed the first test.

Full Squad:

David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Matt Renshaw, Peter Handscomb, Alex Carey(w), Pat Cummins(c), Todd Murphy, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Mitchell Starc, Ashton Agar, Matthew Kuhnemann, Lance Morris

Players to watch out for:

Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Pat Cummins

Possible Playing XI:

David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Matt Renshaw, Alex Carey (wk), Tod Murphy, Pat Cummins (c), Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Starc

India vs Australia Head to Head

India vs Australia Head to Head Stats in Tests

In Nagpur, India maintained their recent strong Test form against Australia. India have now won three and drawn one of the last four Tests between the sides.

	Matches Played	IND Won	AUS Won	Tie	Draw
Overall	103	31	43	1	28
Last 5	5	3	1	0	1

India vs Australia Toss Prediction

In all 36 Tests, the outcome favoured the team batting second 13 times, twice as much as the team batting first. Even though the average first innings score at this venue is higher than the average second innings score, the turning conditions make batting in the third innings extremely difficult. The team that wins the coin toss should bowl first.

India vs Australia Pitch Report

The second Test will begin at 9:30 a.m. on February 17th at Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. The stadium has a capacity of 48000 spectators and has previously hosted 36 Tests, 28 ODIs, and 13 T20Is. West Indies has scored the most runs at this venue (644), while India has scored the fewest (75). India has not lost a test at this venue since 1987-88. The venue is well-known for Anil Kumble’s 10-wicket haul against Pakistan.

The sky will be mostly clear. The temperature will range between 14 and 31 degrees Celsius. The wind will be blowing at 5-10 km/h from the west. The pitch is equally favourable to batters and spinners. With the team having better spinners and only two draws in the last 13 tests played here, the result is expected.

India vs Australia Prediction

Nothing is more difficult than playing at home against India. Since 2012, the home team has not lost a test series at home. They are now the best team in all formats. They have won three of the last four Tests against Australia.

The Delhi pitch includes some favourable statistics for India. India has won ten of the last twelve tests in Delhi. When you have the world’s number one team and the world’s number two bowler, who is also the world’s number two all-rounder, chasing the world’s number one all-rounder, who has just made a mind-blowing comeback for you, it’s a foregone conclusion that you will win the game. In case you’re wondering, this world’s number one and number two pairing has only lost one test out of 38 combined. Check out the odds at Cricbaba!

India is the favourite to beat Australia at the odds of 1.30.

India vs Australia Most Recommended Player for Bet:

Ravindra Jadeja led the bowling of Indian team in the previous match as he picked up his 11th five-wicket haul in Test cricket, returning after a period of 5 months due to injury. We are backing him as India’s top wicket taker in the Second Test.

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