India humiliated the host in the Perth, now it's time for the Pink ball test in the Adelaide Oval. Aussies haven't lost a single Pink ball test before but India has a great history in conquering Aussies in their own backyard. Who has the upper hand in the 2nd test match? Let's find out..
PITCH REPORT:
The Adelaide Oval pitch for the second Test is set to feature 6 millimeters of grass, according to Damian Hough, the head curator. The pitch is expected to favor the pacers initially, with pitch offering bounce and movement. (Source: sportingnews)
When the ball gets older, batting could become easier, hence I want India to bowl first. Yeah, it would be a risky choice to chase in the fourth innings but the risk is worth taking. However, batting will get a bit difficult under light and ball might swing a bit more as compare to the morning session, batters must play accordingly and should consider this factor. Hough even said that the surface is prepared to provide an even contest between bat and ball.
In this ground batting first team has won 41 times whereas, bowling first team has only 24 times. I don't believe on the historical data to be honest, historically almost every match played here was red ball except last 2-3 matches. Hence, I want India to bowl first and take the help from the pitch early on.
3 changes expected in the winning combination, not sure if Rohit should bat at no.5 or not. If Rohit is thinking of retiring from the test cricket soon then its a good decision, but in the longer perspective I think it would just damage the team combination. Gill comes in automatically and the 3rd change I am expecting is Akashdeep in for Harshit, I mean common you have to play Akash the pink ball test. Yes, Harshit was not bad but according to the surface Akash deserves a place here. Rest will retain their places. Batting line-up is looking a bit more experienced now with the return of Rohit and Gill.
MY PREDICTIONS:
India is going to the 2nd test with a lot of confidence and their also some rift in between Aussies dressing room. So India holds slight upper hand but due to the pink ball factor I feel the contest is evenly poised. On start of day 4 Hazlewood was directly blaming the batters and said we are looking towards the next game now even though the game wasn't over yet. I think that's what Australian mentality is!!
Expecting another stellar performance from our pace trio (whoever is the third pacer) once again, if Akashdeep plays I would not be surprised if he gets a fifer there. In terms of batting I am expecting a classy performance from our top order. The team is looking settled now with every player in form. I said before the Perth test that if we win the first 2 test we will guaranteedly play the WTC Finals, fingers crossed!!
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