The fourth match of the Border-Gavaskar Test Trophy between India and Australia will be played in Ahmedabad from today (March 9). The Indian team is ahead 2-1 in the series.
While there is talk of spin on the Ahmedabad pitch from day one, Australia’s stand-in captain Steve Smith has described it as the best batting pitch of the series. Talking to the media a day before the match, Smith expressed hope that due to the heat in Ahmedabad, as the game progresses, the pitch will crack and the balls will start turning.
Smith said, “We will have to see how this pitch behaves, but it is certain that it will get less turn on the first day of the match than the first three Test matches.”
Smith believes that scoring 400 runs in Nagpur was a big score but it will probably be easier in Motera (Narendra Modi Stadium).
No big score has been made in this series so far. In the first Test match, thanks to Rohit Sharma’s century, Team India touched the figure of 400 runs, but since then no team has been able to score above 263.
On the discussion in the Australian media about how many spinners to feed in the match, Smith said that “people are saying that three fast bowlers and one spinner should be taken. While here the last 11 innings have ended in only six days. Spinners are getting wickets in bulk.
It is being estimated from Steve Smith that he will also land in Ahmedabad with three spinners. The Australian team, trailing 0-2 in the Border-Gavaskar Test series, won the third Test on turning pitches under the captaincy of Steve Smith and returned to the series.
In the absence of regular captain Pat Cummins, Steve Smith took over the reins of the team and under his leadership, the Kangaroo spinners blasted the Indian batting line-up, considered veteran in playing spin, while rotating the balls in the best way.
