On Friday, February 17, the second match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy’s four games is slated to begin in Delhi. Indian Cricket Team would be aiming to keep the winning run continue. Australia was outplayed in all the 3 departments of the game as they were knocked off for 177 in 1st innings & 91 in 2nd innings
Ahead of the 2nd Test Match, the mighty Australians have been mulling over changes in the playing XI, both in the bowling and batting department which has invited varied opinions from across the cricketing world and Twitterati.
“Ashwin has his number”-Aakash Chopra
Both the Australian openers David Warner and Usman Khawaja failed to provide the expected foundation to the team upfront, only scoring 19 runs combined in the match. Former Indian batter Aakash Chopra on his You-Tube Channel expressed how this could a very crucial one for both
“In batting, there will be pressure on David Warner to score runs as murmurs have started in the Australian media about whether he should be dropped. He has not scored runs in India. Ashwin has his number. So it is an extremely crucial game for him.”
“Usman Khawaja came after scoring plenty of runs in Pakistan. He has set the stage on fire in the last 12 months, but he has been cold here. There will be a focus on him once again. Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne are the two important pillars of their batting.” said Chopra.
India’s challenge for Khawaja
The 36-year-old has time again faced issues when touring to India, whether it is the visa approval in his last three visits or the lack of mental application against both fast bowlers and spinners in the last match where he was seen caught by Siraj’s pace in the first innings while falling prey to Ashwin’s tactics in the second.
Khawaja, since his recall against England in early 2022 has scored 1275 runs at an impressive average of 79.68, including a stellar stint against Pakistan. However, despite being one of the crucial members of the Australian top order he has played only one Test match on Indian soil where he managed just 8 runs in both innings, against expectations.
Also Read: IND vs AUS: “Want David Warner To Counter-Attack The Opposition…..”- Australia Skipper Pat Cummins