Tomorrow will mark the beginning of the second match in the Border-Gavaskar 2023 series at Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium. India, the home team, currently leads the four-match series 1-0. If they win the second Test in Delhi this week, they will keep the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. After a meek surrender in Nagpur, Australia lost the first Test against India three days later.
In Delhi, the team led by Pat Cummins will want to show why they are in charge of the ICC World Test Championship points table. On the other hand, India will be eager to maintain their winning momentum. Here are some important numbers from previous matches that Delhi has hosted before the second Test begins.
Match details
- Match: India vs Australia, 2nd Test
- Date and Time: February 17, 2023, Friday, 09:30 am IST
- Venue: Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
Probable XIs:
India:
- Rohit Sharma ©
- KL Rahul
- Cheteshwar Pujara
- Virat Kohli
- Suryakumar Yadav
- Srikar Bharat (wk)
- Ravindra Jadeja
- Axar Patel
- Ravichandran Ashwin
- Mohammad Shani
- Mohammed Siraj
Australia:
- Usman Khawaja
- David Warner
- Marnus Labuschagne
- Steve Smith
- Travis Head
- Alex Carey (wk)
- Ashton Agar
- Pat Cummins ©
- Scott Boland
- Nathan Lyon
- Todd Murphy
Prediction
Out of 34 Test matches played in Delhi, India has only lost six and won 13. India has won 10 of the last 12 Tests, with two matches ending in draws. India suffered its most recent defeat in Delhi in November 1987. Only one of Australia’s seven Test matches in Delhi was successful, in 1959.
Prediction: India wins.
Pitch Report
Yesterday’s first look at the field was very similar to the one in Nagpur. On both ends, grass could be seen covering the centerfield, but it was pretty dry near the batters’ front foot.
The black soil surface at Arun Jaitley Stadium is likely to play slow and low, prompting the spinners once more to enter the game early. The pacers will once more receive some assistance from the new ball, but the spinners will likely score significantly more runs throughout the match.
Given that the average fourth innings score in Test matches played at this location has been just 165 runs, both captains are likely to bat first if they win the toss. During the first two days of the Test, anticipate the batters taking advantage.
The surface in Delhi is favorable for spinners and batters. During the first half of a Test match, batsmen have fun, while spinners come into play later. The pattern of the upcoming India-Australia Test ought to be similar.
Weather Report:
On matchdays, the temperature is expected to be around 23°C, with a humidity of 42% and a wind speed of 5-8 km/hr. During the game, there are no chances of precipitation.
Where to watch
You can watch the match on Disney+ hotstar app.