"I know in Australia the players actually have no say over how the wickets are prepared at all" - Ricky Ponting weighs in on the Nagpur pitch 

Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting believes that India have prepared a turning track to maximize their home advantage for the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy. There was a lot of talk surrounding the pitch at Nagpur and how it was being curated in the build-up to the opening Test, pertaining to how much it would potentially aid spinners.

After the first day of action, where Australia were bowled out for a mere 177, it was clear that the surface helped spin bowlers like a typical subcontinent track, but at the same time, there were no demons in it either.

A lack of application from the Australian batters barring Steve Smith and Marnus Labushcagne saw them lose all their wickets in just over 60 overs.

Claiming that he expected the pitch to play like this after images of the strip surfaced on social media a few days ago, Ponting said in the latest edition of the ICC Review:

“I expected today's wicket to play like it has. I got a look at it like everyone did a few days ago, and that's when all the talk started about the surface. But India's best chance of beating Australia is to prepare turning wickets. One, because our batsmen will find it difficult, but also because they would think that their spin bowlers are better than Australia's as well."

The Indian team management has clearly had a say in the nature of the pitch. The curators are often informed by the hierarchy to prepare specific wickets. The Men in Blue have often employed the use of rank turners to rattle the opposition and play to their strengths.

Ponting recalled that during his playing days, the players had to make the most of the pitch that was on offer rather than demand specifics during preparation and said:

“The only difference I guess with somewhere like India to Australia is, I know in Australia the players actually have no say over how the wickets are prepared at all."

Ponting continued:

"Unless things have changed the last couple of years, when I was playing, and certainly after I'd finished, the captains or anyone from Cricket Australia never even spoke to the groundsmen. You just left it up to the groundsmen to prepare the best wicket that they could."

To India's credit, they have conquered the bouncy surfaces of Brisbane and Melbourne during their last tour of Australia. The Aussies also won on a Pune rank turner from their last visit to India, proving that positive results are indeed possible.

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"I think he could very well be the leading wicket-taker in this entire series" - Ricky Ponting on Ravindra Jadeja

The returning Ravindra Jadeja was the wrecker-in-chief for Team India on Day 1 courtesy of a lethal five-wicket haul.

The left-arm spinner accounted for the wickets of both Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne to trigger Australia's collapse in the second session of the day.

Predicting Jadeja to be the leading wicket-taker of the 2023 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Ponting said:

“Because of how he [Jadeja] bowls on those sort of wickets – the pace that he bowls, the line that he bowls to right-handers in particular, where he is pitching the ball on the stumps all the time, and one would turn and one will slide on, like we saw, with the dismissal of Steven Smith today."

Ponting continued:

"As the series goes on, if his body holds up and he can get through the four Test matches, I think he could very well be the leading wicket-taker in this entire series.”

Team India scored 77 brisk runs in the third session of the day, losing KL Rahul's wicket off the penultimate over.

How many runs will the hosts score in the first innings? Let us know what you think.

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