Already 2-0 up in the four-match Test series for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, team India will take on Australia at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore, during the third Test which starts tomorrow onwards. Special performances overall in all departments have meant that India do stand on the verge of winning yet another Test series against the Aussies, but fans will wait in anticipation regarding the immediate future of opening batter KL Rahul.
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Be it fans or former cricketers, Rahul has yet again inadvertently owned the spotlight after back-to-back failures in the first two Tests. Despite Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid making it absolutely clear that he will be backed despite the rut in form, some reports have also suggested that he might make way for the in-form Shubman Gill tomorrow.
As for Australia, their woes do not seem to end soon, as their skipper Pat Cummins has returned back to Australia to be with her ill mother who is under palliative care. Steve Smith will be leading the side in his absence.
There’s no doubting the fact that, if the Aussies do have to make comeback into the series, the duo of Smith and Marnus Labuschagne will have to come up with some stellar performances.
India vs Australia 3rd Test pitch report
The Holkar Cricket Stadium has hosted mere two Test matches till date, with the previous one taking place in 2019, when the hosts had defeated Bangladesh by an innings and 130 runs.
Always known for being a batting paradise, the pitch in Indore for the third Test will likely turn out the same especially during the first two days. In fact, the red soil pitch, which has this tendency to offer significant bounce and carry, will not only help the batters play their shots through the line, but the pacers are likely to benefit hugely as well.
“There will be bounce as long as the top layer (in Indore the top layer is red soil) is intact and once that is gone, the wear and tear will start,” a curator familiar with the nature of the pitch, had shared with The Indian Express a day ago.
The average first innings score across the two Tests here has been 353 runs. Hence, no points for guessing that the captain winning the Toss will opt to bat first.
Will India go in with three fast bowlers?
The last time they played here against Bangladesh, the team did feature the likes of Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami, and Ishant Sharma in the playing XI. They even scalped 14 Bangladeshi wickets during the Test.
Axar Patel, who has not bowled much in the series so far, might well possibly make way for Umesh Yadav in that case.
However, considering that the spinners are likely to come into play from Day 3 onwards, it will be interesting to see if they do tinker with their combination. Moreover, Axar has not failed to make an impression either with the bat. The wear and tear on the pitch later on might well require India to bat deep as well.
