BGT 2023 | Spin to win: Building up to the finely balanced Nagpur Test

The time has come for players to get involved in ugly spats as the India-Australia rivalry is ready to get underway once again on February 9 in Nagpur’s Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium. As usual, this will be a four-match affair, albeit for the last time between the two sides as confirmed by both BCCI and Cricket Australia (CA) before they switch to a five-match series. India, under Rohit Sharma, will look to make four consecutive series triumphs over Australia, a feat which would help them cement their place in the final of the World Test Championship (WTC). 

Australia played their last Test match in Nagpur during their 2008 tour of India, their only red-ball game at this venue to date. Interestingly, it was also the first Test match to be ever held at this venue. Back then, Ricky Ponting was the captain of a juggernaut that boasted the likes of Matthew Hayden, Michael Hussey, Brett Lee, and Mitchell Johnson amongst other stars and familiar faces. Yet, they were 1-0 down against MS Dhoni & his boys before traveling to Nagpur, where they were scheduled to play the fourth and final game of the series.

Batting first, India rode on Sachin Tendulkar’s crafty 109 and Sourav Ganguly’s fine 85 to post 441 in the first innings. Their evergreen duo, ably assisted by Virender Sehwag (66), VVS Laxman (65), and Dhoni (56), made sure India had little chance to lose the game. 

For Australia, Jason Krejza, who only played two Tests, had an outing to remember for ages. On his all-format international debut (he also played eight ODIs), the spinner made a name for himself by returning figures of 43.5-1-215-8. He bowled beautifully in the second innings as well, picking four for 143, including that famous VVS Laxman wicket which was later shortlisted for ball of the century.

To make matters worse, India batted at 3.56 runs an over in the second innings to put up a total of 295, setting Australia an improbable target of 381. Sehwag stepped up yet again, taking just 107 balls for his blazing 92, while twin fifties from Dhoni (55) and Harbhajan (52) helped them revive from 166/6.

How has Nagpur fared over the years for India in Tests?

The margin of victories (except the England fixture) in Nagpur Tests were 172 runs, an innings and six runs, an innings and 198 runs (against New Zealand in November 2010), 124 runs (against South Africa in November 2015), and an innings and 239 runs, suggesting that the venue tends to produce one-sided affairs, predominantly in India’s favour. 

Who can be the standout performer from either side in the first Test between the two heavyweights?

Ravichandran Ashwin

Ravindra Jadeja

Many might be surprised to know that Jadeja’s Test bowling average is even better than Ashwin's against Australia in India. The stylish all-rounder has 49 wickets in eight matches averaging 18.02 and would be looking to improve his numbers even more when he makes the much-anticipated return to the international setup in Nagpur. He recently played in Ranji Trophy for Saurashtra in Chepauk and made an impact straightaway by picking 7/53 against Tamil Nadu in the second innings.

Unsurprisingly, Lyon would be in focus amongst the Australian bowlers, especially considering that he is the joint-second highest-wicket taker against India (34 wickets in seven matches @30.58), behind Richie Benaud (52 wickets in eight matches @18.38), and alongside Graham McKenzie (34 wickets in eight matches @19.26), and Shane Warne (34 wickets in nine matches @43.11). If he produces something in Nagpur similar to what his fellow offie Krejza did 15 years ago, India might find themselves on the back foot.

Steven Smith

Smith, the undisputed king of modern-day Test cricket, averages 60 in red-ball cricket in India, tallying a total of 660 runs from 12 innings. He had a spectacular Test series against South Africa lately at home, aggregating 231 runs in three innings to find himself at the top of the run-scorers chart. Thus, don’t be surprised if he lit up the series from the very beginning with the support of his partner-in-crime Marnus Labuschagne.

What are the key match-ups that could decide the fate of the Nagpur Test?

In India in Tests, Lyon has got the better of Kohli four times and conceded 93 runs against him at an average of 23.2. The talismanic Indian would be striving to register the long-awaited 28th hundred in the longest format of the game, and it will be interesting to see how he handles Lyon, someone who has not historically dominated in the past. Against right-arm off-breaks, Kohli’s record in India overall is quite impressive, averaging 46 for 1,489 runs and also striking at 61.8, six more than his career strike rate (55.80). Hence, this should be a cracker of a match-up to look forward to as the winner of this mini-battle can play a pivotal role in either team’s favour.

Ashwin’s excellent record against left-handers is nothing new to the cricket world as his numbers tell he has 312 Test wickets against southpaws in 51 matches in India, averaging 21.16. However, against Warner, he is yet to flourish as he usually does. Their head-to-head record shows Warner averages almost 30 (29.2) against India’s talismanic bowler. Against right-arm off-breaks overall, Warner’s Test average in India stands at 31, having amassed 186 runs. Therefore, the mind games between the two veterans of the sport is set to provide some exciting content for the spectators.