(Source: AP Newsroom)
Cricket entertainment will be at its peak as the purest format is going to present us with the blockbuster show between India and Australia. The two teams will be battiling it out for a position in the finals of the WTC .The first match of the series will be taking place on 9th Ferbruary at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur.
India will be looking to repeat their performance from the last time that these two teams met. But this will be a chance of redemption that the Aussies will look to utilise to the fullest. They will try and defeat India on their home soil and complete the revenge of their fortress being breached the last time around.
The match is scheduled to start at 9:30 AM IST, but before the match goes live let us look at some important stats, the prime player picks and the best-predicted XIs for the fantasy contests of the match.
Ground Stats: Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur
The strip at the Vidarbha Cricket Asscoiation Stadium will be good for batting in the first two days. As the game progresses, the pitch will tire down and the spinners will start to have a great impact on the match. The spinners will get something on the wicket from the very first session of the match, but their effect will be maximized in the fourth innings of the match.
Numbers at the ground (Test Cricket)
(Source: OneCricket)
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(Source: OneCricket)
IND vs AUS, First Test: Head to Head
The two teams have played 27 series, Australia is edging the contest by just two series wins at present.
In case of matches, India and Australia have played 102 Test matches against each other. The balance of the contest is shifted towards Australia for now, but India is fast catching up.
If we talk about the head-to-head between the two teams on Indian soil, then the two teams have played 50 matches and 15 of these have ended in draws. In the other 35 matches, India is ahead by a big margin and they will look to increase the numbers in this series.
Head-to-Head (Series)
Total series: 27
India won: 10
Australia won: 12
Drawn series: 5
Head-to-Head (Matches)
Total matches: 102
India won: 30
Australia won: 43
Matches Drawn: 28
No Result: 1
Head-to-Head (in India)
Total matches: 50
India won: 21
Australia won: 13
Matches Drawn: 15
Tied: 1
IND vs AUS, First Test: Probable Playing XI
India Team/Injury News
Shreyas Iyer will not be available for selection because of back injury.
Australia Team/Injury News
Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Cameron Green will not be available for the series.
(Source: OneCricket)
IND vs AUS, First Test: Top Picks
- Virat Kohli (IND): Virat Kohli enjoys batting at this venue. His numbers are very good here and batting at number four he will be a very important cog in the Indian batting. Virat Kohli is a must pick for this match.
- Steve Smith (AUS): Steve Smith averages 60 in India. A great player of spin and a stable batter, Smith will be the most important part of the Australian batting. He is someone you cannot drop for the match.
- Ravichandran Ashwin (IND): The Indian lead off-spinner enjoys the pitch at VCAS very much. He has played three Tests on the strip and picked up wickets in bunches. He is a definite pick for the match.
- Nathan Lyon (AUS): There are reports that the pitch for the first Test might turn form the very first ball. In that case, Nathan Lyon will have a great role to play in Australia's chances in the match.
- KL Rahul (IND): The last time Australia visited India, KL Rahul looked in a serene touch. He scored a bunch of runs, and will play an important role in this series also probably batting in the middle-order.
IND vs AUS, First Test: Must Picks
India
- Virat Kohli: 354 runs in 4 innings at the venue
- Ravichandran Ashwin: 23 wickets in 3 matches at this venue
- KL Rahul: 393 runs in 4 matches in the last India series
Australia
- Steve Smith: 660 runs in 6 matches in India
- Nathan Lyon: 34 wickets in 4 matches in India
- Scott Boland: 28 wickets in 6 matches in his career
IND vs AUS, First Test: Risky Picks
India: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill
Australia: Marnus Labuschagne, Usman Khawaja
IND vs AUS, First Test: Best Captain and Vice-captain choices
- Virat Kohli (IND)
- Steve Smith (AUS)
- Ravichandran Ashwin (IND)
IND vs AUS, First Test: Team for Head to Head contests
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Wicketkeeper: S Bharat
Batters: Cheteshwar Pujara, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Steve Smith
All-rounders: Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Ashton Agar
Bowlers: Mohammed Siraj, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland
Captain: Virat Kohli
Vice-captain: Steve Smith
IND: 7 Players, AUS: 4 Players
IND vs AUS, First Test: Team for Winner takes all contests
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Wicketkeeper: Alex Carey
Batters: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Marnus Labuschagne,
All-rounders: Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Travis Head
Bowlers: Mohammed Siraj, Nathan Lyon, Umesh Yadav
Captain: Ravichandran Ashwin
Vice-captain: Ravindra Jadeja
IND: 6 Players, AUS: 5 Players
Also Read: IND vs AUS, 1st Test: Preview, Prediction and Fantasy Tips
 "Probuddha Bhattacharjee")
