The first Test of the four-match Test series between India and Australia will be played from February 9 in Nagpur. Ahead of the series opener, team India’s star batter KL Rahul spilled beans on his team’s selection strategy for 1st Test. He said the India will be for sure tempted to play three spinners in Nagpur Test.
“There will be a temptation to play three spinners. We are playing in India, where pitches are going to spin. But it is still early to know what the pitch is going to do exactly,” said Rahul in a pre-match press conference, ANI reported.
Rahul admitted India vs Australia Test series is a must-win for them as they have their eyes on the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
“We have worked on playing spin. We know how pitches are going to be there in India and what to expect. So keeping that in mind, we are practicing. Each of us have individual plans, everyone wants to play their own way, which has been discussed with the group,” said Rahul.
“It is a must-win series. When it is India versus Australia, both teams want to win and it is a big series. It is no different than any other Border-Gavaskar Trophy series. We do realise that we want to play the World Test Championship final. But we also want to stay in the present and take it one game at a time,” added the batter.
Rahul admitted that reverse swing is going to play a huge role in the series.
“Reverse swing has played a huge role here historically as we have seen it (during the England series in 2012-13 which India lost). Any team with quality fast bowlers who can exploit the reverse swing can be dangerous here. As a batter, you also try to prepare for it. Australia has always produced high-quality fast bowlers and we know the threat that they can pose, be it with the new ball or the old ball which starts reverse swinging. It is the beauty of playing against top teams,” said the batter.
Rahul said that since there are plenty of left-handers on the Australian side, the bowlers will not struggle with their line and length.
“Bowlers will be at the advantage with so many left-handers. When there are so many left and right-handed batters, bowlers struggle to adjust their line and length. It is unique, I do not think any other team has so many left-handed batters,” said Rahul.
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