 | « Back to article | Print this article |
Following their emphatic nine wicket win in the Indore Test, Australia will be looking to continue the momentum as they seek a series-levelling victory in the fourth and final Test, starting in Ahmedabad on Thursday.
Australia crumbled against spin in the first two Tests before they bounced back in fine style courtesy of their spinners in Indore.
The fourth Test will be played at the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad -- the world's largest cricket stadium, with a world record 110,000 fans expected on the opening day.
Prime Minister Modi will attend the first day's play along with his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese.
Once again, the pitch has intrigued the Australian camp ahead of the Test.
Interestingly, the Ahmedabad curators are working on two pitches simultaneously in the lead up to the Test.
Australia Captain Steve Smith said the curator told him on Tuesday morning there was a 60 per cent chance of playing on one nearer the eastern side of the ground that featured predominantly black soil, and a 40 per cent chance of playing on another surface that consisted primarily of red soil, said a report on cricket.com.au.
When asked if he knew which pitch would be used, Smith replied: 'The short answer is no. There's two prepared.'
India Head Coach Rahul Dravid was quite clear which pitch would be used as he inspected only one pitch on Tuesday -- the one featuring more black soil. Dravid was not aware why the other pitch was kept under covers.
'I don't know why two strips are covered. I never asked him (the curator) why he covered the other one. But I don't know what that was. We're playing on this one, I have no idea about the other one,' Dravid said.
Australia are likely to continue with their spin trio of Nathan Lyon, Todd Murphy and Matthew Kuhnemann, who brought them success in Indore.
On the other hand, India might consider a change or two as they could bring back Mohammed Shami and Kuldeep Yadav for the fourth Test, which they need to win to qualify for the World Test Championship final.
