Perth prepared for the breathtaking grapple starts on Friday

Perth, the city of Denis Lillee, is indelible to the Indian cricket fans who are in their mid-30’s or 40’s for the 19 year old master blaster’s solitary 114 run knock in 1991-92 series, albeit in a losing cause; while the fans in their youth can cherish the memory of another 19 year old’s match defining spell to Ponting followed by a historic win in 2007-08 series. The same city is gearing itself for the second test of what has already been a dramatic series. Never before did the men in blues win the opening match of a down-under series, nor have they won any test series in Aussie soil. This time though they have attained the first in Adelaide and are onto the second. After the win with vigorous endeavour, instead of being on cloud nine, Kohli’s men would probably like to keep their feet on the ground and try to pin down their flaws as Australia showed that despite their absentee batting honchos, they are the not the ones to throw up the sponge without making the opponent sweat.

The Venue:

The WACA ground in Perth is renowned for probably the fastest and bounciest 22 yards in the world where ball’s skimming past the batsmen’s ears is a day-to-day happening and the Fremantle Doctor, the afternoon wind blowing from the sea aiding the fast bowlers. It has been a happy hunting ground for Australia as they had wreaked havoc on visiting teams exploiting their pace bowling attacks. India came triumphant only once here in Perth, in 2007-08 series owing to Irfan Pathan’s all-round performance and Ishant’s spell to Ponting. But this time around, the match will be held in the newly built Optus Stadium, the first ever test in this very venue. The two ODIs that held here were low scoring mostly dominated by the pacers. Lot of whispers around the pitch, but either of the teams won’t mind that as neither of them has played in this pitch earlier. Probably a fast and bouncy green top drop-in pitch is in the offing. WACA curator Brett Sipthorpe has unveiled a bright green pitch on the eve of the Perth Test and it is expected to provide a much-coveted balance between bat and ball.

Probable XI:

As Rohit and Ashwin have been ruled out of the test and Kuldeep is kept out of announced thirteen men squad, India is likely to go with four bowlers with Jadeja coming in for Ashwin and Hanuma Vihari for Rohit.

Top order:

Indian openers, Vijay in particular looked anemic in Adelaide missing his extra sensory perception around the off stump which made him one of the leading run scorers in Australia series 2014-15. Rahul started well in the second innings but gave away his wicket at a crucial juncture. But with Shaw yet to be match-fit, the duo will have another opportunity to prove themselves. Rahul should be in pursuit of consistency, while Vijay must be looking for his erstwhile attribute of leaving the ball. Pujara with his knocks in both the innings helped Indian batting order to get rid of its over dependency on Kohli overseas. By making patience, grit and perseverance his ally he would probably go from strength to strength as the series progresses.

Middle order:

Adelaide saw one of the few and far between occasions of Virat Kohli failing to deliver. But his coming to form is apparently a matter of time. Rahane came into his own in the second innings in the Adelaide and thus is expected to reclaim his stature of being the man Friday for India in overseas. Rohit Sharma is one of the grey areas that India now have. He looked in excellent touch in first innings, but gifted his wicket to Lyon while trying to loft him over square leg after a delivery in which he was saved by the skin of his teeth and in the second, he only managed to score one run. But as he has been ruled out, Hanuma Vihari will probably take his place. It will be a golden opportunity for the young man to prove himself worthy in the team. Pant has to go beyond his little cameos and contribute significantly down the order, so as to cement his position in the playing eleven. Despite taking eleven catches in the last test, his wicket keeping skills are under cloud too.

Bowlers:

The bowlers were the unsung heroes of the last match, all of them did what their captain asked them to do. The pacers kept good line and length and thus choked the run flow as Australia recorded probably one of their slowest innings. A tireless Ashwin took six wickets in the match, his best figure in Australia, though he was not so effective as was thought on a fifth day pitch. Ishant has to keep an eye over his bowling no ball now and then in order to increase the pace. Shami looked a bit wayward in the first innings, though bowled well in the second. Bumrah, picking up wickets and breaking partnerships in regular intervals was top of the bowlers. Ashwin’s injury is a significant blow to the bowling line up, but it was imminent as he bowled 86 overs under the balmy Adelaide sun. Jadeja, his replacement might come in handy for India as he is accurate and can bowl for long hours and thus can provide useful break to the pacers. He can also capitalize the footmarks outside the left-handers’ off stump and Australia have as many as six southpaws in their lineup. It is alluring for any team to go with four fast bowlers in a green top, which is around the corner, but as it is drop-in pitch, cracks are likely to appear after 3^rd days of play and thus spinners will be very much in the game. There is also very little chance of India’s going with four pacers and Jadeja. But if they decide to go with this combination, either of Bhuvi and Umesh is likely to appear in the eleven.

Australia, on the other hand is likely to go with unchanged eleven, Mitchel Marsh though may come into the side considering the nature of the pitch. Aussie pacers bowled exceptionally well with Lyon giving them useful support. Indian willow-wielders struggled against Lyon’s perfect line and length in the second innings as he ended up with six wickets. It is their fragile batting line-up they will be worried about. All their batsmen showed positive intent early in the innings only to yield later to the Indian disciplined bowling line-up. Perth, the most isolated city of the world, is the home ground for the Justin Langer, who is the current head coach of the Aussies. So, it's expected that hosts will definitely look for a turn around in this very venue!

There are pros and cons for both the teams, but those will not hinder them from involving in a fiery clash in Perth from tomorrow. Fans can sit back and relax now as they might not get another chance in the next five days.

Writer: Sourav Samanta

Photo Source: Google, Twitter

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Read here the match report of the First Test: PUJARA AND BUMRAH STARS AS INDIA SHATTERS THE DECADE OLD DEADLOCK AT ADELAIDE

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