India vs Australia 2017: All you need to know about the first Test in Pune

The amount of hard work and value that Australia have placed on this 4-Test series in India can be identified by the number of press conferences given by almost every single player in their squad in the days leading up to the opening match.

Following intense preparation camps at the Center of Excellence in Brisbane and at the ICC Academy in Dubai, the visitors are quietly confident of providing a closely competitive affair.

Squaring off against them will be a ruthless Indian team on a remarkable run of 19 consecutive Tests without defeat and six successive series victories. The highly promising 2017 Border-Gavaskar Trophy is all set to begin at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium on Thursday.

Let us take a close look at all aspects pertaining to the eagerly anticipated first Test in Pune.

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#5 Onus on skippers to set the tone

Steven Smith and Virat Kohli are the top two Test batsmen at the moment

According to the ICC Player Rankings, Steven Smith and Virat Kohli are the top two Test batsmen at the moment. Both have been in imperious form during the last couple of seasons. It is quite evident that their respective teams look up to them to show the way.

Extra Cover: Virat Kohli vs Steve Smith – A promising rivalry

Strangely, the pressure could be on Kohli and his troops as pre-series predictions from various quarters bill India as extreme favorites with a score line of anything less than 4-0 set to evoke discontentment.

Coming towards the end of a packed home season, the series poses a test of both mental and physical resolve. On the other hand, Smith as well as Australia need to have a good start to the series. If not, things could start to unravel pretty quickly.

Team Form (Last 5 matches in reverse chronological order)

India – WWWWW

Australia – WWWWL

#4 Pune pitch expected to support sharp turn

Australia coach Darren Lehmann and skipper Smith take a look at the surface (Image Courtesy: cricket.com.au)

With the venue making its Test debut, there is considerable mystery around the playing surface. It must be kept in mind that the chief curator Pandurang Salgaoncar was one of the fastest bowlers in India’s domestic circuit during the 70s who inexplicably did not get even a single opportunity to represent his country.

Extra Cover: 2017 Border-Gavaskar Trophy – 5 reasons why Australia should be wary of India

Still trying to scare the batsmen, he made a startling claim. “The ball will fly here. There will be bounce. Even the cracks that will naturally come up are unlikely to provide much turn for the spinners. I have prepared a pitch for cricket.”

In sharp contrast, the surface appears to be devoid of any grass and rough marks are already creeping up on a few areas. With the sun expected to beat down hard on the pitch, spinners could come into the equation despite Salgaoncar’s wishes.

#3 Usman Khawaja likely to sit out

Matt Renshaw seems to have done enough to pip Usman Khawaja for the second opener’s slot

Australia head coach Darren Lehmann gave enough hints on his side’s playing eleven. With both Marsh brothers returning to the side, the team combination is almost locked in and the only bone of contention will revolve around David Warner’s opening partner. However, going by recent practice sessions during which Usman Khawaja batted alone in the nets against local spinners, Renshaw is likely to open the innings.

With Mohammed Shami and Amit Mishra not recovering sufficiently from their respective injuries, India named an unchanged squad for the first two Tests. Depending on how the team management takes the curator’s claims, Jayant Yadav and Bhuvneshwar Kumar will compete for the fifth bowler’s slot.

Probable XI

India

Murali Vijay, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Jayant Yadav/Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav and Ishant Sharma

Australia

David Warner, Matthew Renshaw, Steven Smith (c), Shaun Marsh, Peter Handscomb, Mitchell Marsh, Matthew Wade (wk), Steve O'Keefe, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon and Josh Hazlewood

#2 Jadeja and Starc eye Test double

Jadeja is on the verge of joining a select group of Indian cricketers

Here are a few interesting statistics surrounding the game.

Six of Kohli’s 16 Test centuries have come against Australia. Among Indian batsmen, only Sunil Gavaskar (8) and Sachin Tendulkar (11) scored more Test tons against the Aussies.

Both Jadeja and Starc are on the verge of completing the Test double of 1000 runs and 100 wickets. They need 76 and 51 runs respectively to get to the landmark. When he gets there, the left-arm spinner will become the 10^th Indian cricketer to the feat.

Among those with at least 4000 Test runs, only Don Bradman (99.94) and Herbert Sutcliffe (60.73) have a better average than Smith’s 60.15.

With 228 scalps to his name, Lyon is statistically the most successful off-spinner to have represented Australia.

#1 India’s top-order versus Australia’s pacers

Murali Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara have stitched together plenty of key partnerships

Average-wise, VIjay and Pujara form the best batting duo in Indian Test history. Both batsmen possess extensive reservoirs of patience and are a throwback to the days gone by with their classical approach. While the Tamil Nadu opener looks easy on the eye, the Saurashtra stalwart wears bowlers down by occupying the crease for long periods of time. As ever, the duo’s partnership will be key in blunting Australia’s pacers and setting the platform for Kohli to run riot.

Extra Cover: India vs Australia 2017 – 5 key player battles to watch out for

Similarly, Australia will be relying heavily on Warner and Smith to accumulate substantial totals. The latter could bat at three to separate the cluster of left-handers at the top of the order. In the bowling department, they should be aware that if their pacers do not land early blows, they could find themselves chasing leather all day.