Who will win the 4-match India v Australia Test series?

[MenInG]

Here's the schedule:

February 9-13: First Test
February 17-21: Second Test
March 1-5: Third Test
March 9-13: Fourth Test

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Lots of backtalk and jousting in progress and lot at stake in terms of bragging rights etc

So who will win this series?

[Rana]

Is this on Sky or BT?

[Ab Fan]

India will win 2-1.

[MenInG]

Is this on Sky or BT?

I believe BT as per reports

[WengerOut]

2-2

[MenInG]

Former Australia player and India coach Greg Chappell believes Australia can win the upcoming high-profile four-match Test series as India are "vulnerable" this time with injuries to key players like Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah. While the swashbuckling keeper-batter Pant is ruled out for most part of the year as he continues to recover from injuries sustained during a horrific car crash, Indian pace ace Bumrah (back injury) does not figure in the Indian squad for the first two Tests.

"Australia can win this series. India are more vulnerable at home than they have been for some time due to injuries to key players like Rishbah Pant, Ravindra Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah. They will rely heavily on Virat Kohli," Chappell wrote in an opinion piece for 'Sydney Morning Herald'.

Premier spin-bowling all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who recovered from a knee injury and made a comeback in the Ranji Trophy last month, is in the Indian squad for the Test series beginning in Nagpur on Thursday.

"Visiting teams are often fooled by a game that seems to be going nowhere but suddenly changes at a frenetic pace. The Indians are used to this, so Australia will need to adapt quickly with mind, bat and ball," said the former India coach.

Finger spinner Ashton Agar, who is Australia's only left-arm tweaker in the squad, should be preferred to partner Nathan Lyon on turning tracks, Chappell said.

"Should the pitches favour spin, which is more likely, I expect Ashton Agar to get the nod because finger spin is considered to be more accurate," said the 74-year-old Chappell who scored 7110 runs from 87 Tests with an impressive average of 53.86 between 1970 and 1984.

"Anil Kumble who took 619 wickets in Test cricket, rarely strayed off the straight and narrow. His stock in trade were fast, flat leg breaks which were always threatening the stumps. Batters knew if they missed, they were in trouble. Jadeja's stock in trade is similarly unerring."

NDTV

[WhenSultansBowled]

India should win it 3-1.

Anyways, hopefully we will have an excellent series.

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

India will win it comprehensively.

[Nikhil_cric]

Australia have a very strong squad and India are without the likes of Bumrah and Pant and they have selected the likes of SKY for tests. Australia should be favourites.

[Omer2002]

India will easily thrash aussies at home unfortunately they are too good and world cup is theirs as well

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

Australia have a very strong squad and India are without the likes of Bumrah and Pant and they have selected the likes of SKY for tests. Australia should be favourites.

Lol what a joke. How are Australia favourites now?

[MenInG]

I feel Australia will walk away with a drawn series

[CrIc_Mystique]

Am not optimistic. no Jazz-boom, Rishabh who has given a lot of headache to Aus in tests.
the 4th batsman is an unknown- iyer is injured, so is vihari and what a big mistake by not selecting Sarfraz khan!
Jads is coming off an injury - KL is not going well in tests, our wicketkeeper is an unknown.
I forsee 1-1 drawn series, with the pitches deciding two highscoring draws.

[Bhaijaan]

India should win by 2-1 minimum
As good and settled this Australian team is , they are going to be playing in India now.

[andy0204]

India 3-1 or maybe 4-0

[Nikhil_cric]

Lol what a joke. How are Australia favourites now?

I already explained how they are favourites in my post. Not sure why anyone with even a little understanding of cricket would think its laughable.

[GLORY OF '92]

Australia have a very strong squad and India are without the likes of Bumrah and Pant and they have selected the likes of SKY for tests. Australia should be favourites.

Maybe so but Ashwin and Jadeja are too good. Australia would need to perform a miracle to win.

[jnaveen1980]

Australia has never been more prepared than this. India has far too many players on their last heels. They had a strangledhold on Australia at home for over a decade. Pant's sheer presence will increase India's chances massively. Jadeja returning from injury. Bumrah returning from injury. Iyer doesn't play first Test. I am expecting a perfect storm against India in the first Test.

[sam_ahm]

Aussies do have a strong squad but I think the lack of quality spinners will eventually cost them

India to win 3-0.

[Ab Fan]

Lol what a joke. How are Australia favourites now?

The great who tormented them last time is unavailable. That's why. Stop doing your LOL on posters who are around for so long and well respected.

[Robert]

India. Australia don’t have the spinners to win a series there.

[JattMaula]

It's essentially India C vs Australia. I would still back India to win somehow.

[Afhan Ali]

India 3-1

[Kroll]

India easily also too much yaari dosti from Aus towards Ind cos of IPL contracts.

[jnaveen1980]

Good little sequence may end

[MenInG]

From the epic face-off between Sachin Tendulkar and Shane Warne to Harbhajan Singh’s web over Ricky Ponting, Tests between India and Australia have witnessed several legendary rivalries to the cricketing fable.

All the numbers ahead of the crucial India-Australia Tests
Here’s a look at some of the ongoing battles which will be reignited during the upcoming Test series that will be key in deciding the ICC World Test Championship finalists.

Virat Kohli - Nathan Lyon

Virat Kohli’s dream-like start as India Test skipper at Adelaide was ruined by Nathan Lyon’s 7-152, which handed Australia a 48-run win in the opening Test of the series in 2014/15. Among his wickets was Kohli, who fell to a miscued pull after a masterly 141.

Since then, Kohli-Lyon battles have become even more engaging. While Kohli has succeeded in scoring runs against the bowler, Lyon has gotten the better of Kohli on seven occasions.

Adding further flavour to the contest is the fact that Kohli has struggled a bit against spinners of late. Lyon will look to take advantage of the turning tracks in India but Kohli, going great guns in the white-ball game, can never be counted out.

Cheteshwar Pujara - Josh Hazlewood

Cheteshwar Pujara’s defiance has tested and tormented Australia's bowling attack in recent years. Few other bowlers have been more frustrated by Pujara’s stone-walling than Josh Hazlewood.

Hazlewood identified Pujara’s resilience as one of the reasons why Australia pacers couldn't make regular breakthroughs in the Test series in 2018/19. The batter faced 1258 balls over the series and managed to tire the Australia bowlers with his obdurate batting. He repeated the feat in 2020/21, wherein he faced 928 balls, keeping the Australia bowlers on the field for a long time. India won both series 2-1.

Australia's premier fast bowler Hazlewood has dismissed Pujara six times in the past, and would love to see his back as soon as possible in India. Pujara's early departure can provide a big boost to Australia's quest for regaining the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Ravichandran Ashwin - David Warner

David Warner has been Australia’s mainstay at the top for almost a decade. He has scored more than 5000 runs in Australia at an average of 58.39. This includes 19 centuries and 14 half-centuries.

However, his record visibly changes in India. He averages 24.25 from eight Tests, with no century to his name. This is mainly due to the presence of India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin. He has dismissed Warner on 10 occasions in Tests, with five of these dismissals coming in India. Ashwin appears to have an overall advantage over the left-hander.

An aggressive batter like Warner will probably take the attacking route against the wily off-spin of Ashwin, making this battle a mouthwatering prospect.

Rohit Sharma - Pat Cummins

Though the two skippers haven’t faced each other on many occasions in Tests, the match-up between them will be interesting.

Both Rohit Sharman and Pat Cummins have had great success with their leadership so far. While Cummins has dismissed Rohit twice in Tests, they have never faced each other in India.

India’s captain, who’ll also open the India batting, will look to provide solid starts at the top while Cummins will try to get rid of Rohit early on to establish Australian dominance.

Ravindra Jadeja- Steve Smith

With a Test batting average of 60.89, Steve Smith is one of the modern-day greats. His record is exemplary across nations, and the same holds true against India. He has an overall Test average of 72.58 against India, and also averages 60.0 in India in Test cricket.

At the same time, India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has managed to get the better of Smith on a few occasions. He has picked Smith’s wicket four times in Tests. Apart from this, Jadeja’s sharp fielding has also proved deadly for his opponent, as Smith realized after being caught short of the crease during the Sydney 2021 Test between the two nations.

Jadeja will be an even bigger challenge for Australia’s finest batter on pitches suited to his style of bowling.

ICC

[JaDed]

Bumrah can be replaced in India but not Pant, he was very good in the English series, that impact will be missing.

Aus is on upward trend and India downward, let’s see how it works out..could be interesting

[Champ_Pal]

Slow spinning tracks means easy win for India. If there is assistance for pacers like we saw in the NZ series recently, then it will be a much closer one.

For Australia to have a chance, they must hope that Ashwin and Jaddu have an average series.

[Jazx]

Australia have a very strong squad and India are without the likes of Bumrah and Pant and they have selected the likes of SKY for tests. Australia should be favourites.

On indian soil there is no dependency on bumrah for winning games and there are lot of capable replacements for pant as well.

[dravidthewall]

Australia 2-1

[Amjid Javed]

3-0 India, I think Aussies may draw one test, otherwise indias spinners will have a field day vs Aussie batting.

[MenInG]

Legendary Sri Lanka batter Mahela Jayawardene has used the latest episode of The ICC Review to provide his prediction for the upcoming Test series between India and Australia.

Jayawardena was speaking to host Sanjana Ganesan on the latest edition of The ICC Review, and the former Sri Lanka captain is expecting an extremely interesting series between the two teams.

Not only do Australia and India currently occupy the top two spots on the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s Test Rankings, but the two fierce rivals also sit on top of the ICC World Test Championship standings and are in the box seat to qualify for June's final.

And while Australia haven't won a Test series in India since 2004, Jayawardena is tipping Pat Cummins' side to break their duck during the battle for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy that commences in Nagpur on February 9.

“I think it's always going to be a great series. I think Indian conditions and how the Australian batsmen tackle that, they do have a really good bowling unit and how do the Indian batsmen tackle that … it depends on how each team starts the series and who's got that momentum. But it will be fascinating," he said.

“It's difficult to predict, but being a Sri Lankan, I’m hoping that Australia can go all the way. Probably a 2-1 win for Australia, but it's going to be a tough one.”

India’s chances of successfully tackling that strong Australian bowling unit have been given a boost by the remarkable recent form of batter Shubman Gill.

The youngster’s stunning form in white-ball cricket has been a huge fillip to India in the shorter formats, and Jayawardene said he has what it takes to make a similar level of impact in the red-ball game.

“He's been very good, he's technically very sound and he's a good player of pace,” the Sri Lankan said of Gill. “That'll keep him in good stead against that Australian attack, but it's always going to be tough and it will be a very good series.

“He is in great form at the moment and if he converts that into red-ball cricket and have that tempo, maturity, understanding of the situations and conditions, he’d be a great asset at the top of the line-up for India. He does give them those good starts at a good tempo to put opposition bowling attacks under pressure."

Jayawardene’s home country Sri Lanka are still in with an outside chance of qualifying for the ICC World Test Championship Final, which is scheduled to be held in London in June this year.

Results between Australia and India would have to go in Sri Lanka’s favour, as well as the Lankans producing an excellent series result against New Zealand.

But Jayawardene said it is hugely encouraging for the team to even be in this situation given where his former team have come from.

“I think at the start of the Test Championship, the two-year cycle, Sri Lanka was ranked seventh or eighth in the world. They’ve played some amazing cricket, consistent cricket throughout and are right up there having an opportunity to play in that Test Championship (final)," he said.

“New Zealand are a top team and so it'll be a fascinating series and I hope that Sri Lanka can pull that off. And hopefully Australia can do Sri Lanka a few favours in India, which is also going to be a tough, tough series.”

All the numbers ahead of the crucial India-Australia Tests
Australia’s four-Test tour of India begins on Thursday 9 February, with the fourth and final Test scheduled to begin on 9 March.

Sri Lanka will travel to New Zealand for a two-Test tour in March, with the first match in Christchurch running concurrently with that final fixture in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series.

ICC

[ChipShot]

The team which wins the most tosses will win.

Both teams brilliant on paper. First batting advantage will be huge

[Devadwal]

Steve Smith said "If we can win a series in India, that will be bigger than Ashes series".

[Rajdeep]

Easy win for India. I predict 4-0 in our favour

[KyoOne]

If the pitches are spin minefields, India would win. Otherwise Australia has decent spin players and better pacers which tilt the balance in their favour for all other pitch types

[Saj]

2-1 India I reckon especially if the pitches are prepared for the home bowlers.

[Plumb]

A tough call to make on who will win. I am almost certain Ind will make a pure spin track where ball will turn from the 1st ball lol they might as well open with Ashwin or Jadeja.

Aussies are mentally prepared for a spin track and knowing Aussies they will fight till the last ball so I am really undecided who will win but It be a great contest to watch. Aussie spin track can cause some trouble for Ind too but their attack is nothing compared to Ind spin attack.

[shamaan]

3-1 India

[Firebat]

Not sure Aussies can even win 1, think the batting will crumble in these conditions. 3-0 India.

[ahmadharis1]

Call me a pessimist lol but I think it's gonna be the same old story. Series gets hyped to the moon but India will win. A few standout batting performances from the Aussies, maybe a good resilient innings or two, but at the end of the day there'll be a bunch of 5fers from spinners getting wickets with balls that don't turn, Australian spinners getting smacked, and easy wins for India.

[atreus]

Australia is being underesimated , last aussie team came with a much weaker batting lineup but was still really close to victory

[MenInG]

An early look at the Nagpur pitch �� #INDvAUS pic.twitter.com/S3BIu7qti8

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) February 7, 2023

[MP2011]

but was still really close to victory

They came close to be defeated 1-3 rather than 1-2, a scoreline which flattered them.

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

I don't think Indian curators will be as generous as their Pakistani counterparts and will most likely give them a spinning track. We are not known for preparing sporting tracks anyway. India are clear favourites to win this series. Anyone who thinks otherwise is either delusional or just trying to downplay Indian team. And we certainly don't need greats to win series at home.

[umerz]

India winning 2-1 with spinning dustbowls

[Devadwal]

Predictions for BGT by Fox Cricket Analyst -

Adam Gilchrist: Australia (2-1)
Allan Border: Australia (2-1)
Kerry O'Keefe: Australia (2-1)
Isa Guha: India (2-1)

[sweep_shot]

2-1 possibly (either way).

Australia have a good chance this time.

[topspin]

Another 2-1 series win for India I reckon.

[MenInG]

Playing at home, India will go into the Border-Gavaskar Trophy as favourites but former South African star JP Duminy says Australia could trump the hosts 2-1 in the much anticipated Test rubber. India will be without two of its key players in Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah, but premier all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja will be back to the action after a knee surgery. The Test series will begin on Thursday in Nagpur.

"I see it as a very close series, but I genuinely think that Australia stand a good chance. They certainly have been the team to beat," Duminy said during a virtual interaction, facilitated by SA T20, where he coaches Paarl Royals team.

"I feel it would be 2-1 to Australia and for me the Player-of-The-Series would be Usman Khawaja," he said of the Australian left-hander, who hit a career-best unbeaten 195 against South Africa in Sydney Test in January.

Duminy was quick to add that one can never "write off" India in their home conditions. "You think about (Ravichandran) Ashwin who has a prolific Test record in India, he's probably going to be the key for them." "When it comes to Test cricket, you have got to utilise your resources. Guys like (Cheteshwar) Pujara, Virat Kohli who are prolific in Test cricket. They churn out runs after runs. It's an opportunity for those guys to step up.

India's 'Mr 360', Suryakumar Yadav has been in sensational form in T20 format and is part of the Test squad.

Asked whether he's primed for a Test debut, Duminy said: "Probably he's one of the most exciting players for India right now. From the way Test cricket is going, as a country you need to decide what is the line of cricket you would be playing. And if it's of the attacking mindset, then he becomes an option, certainly." There has already been a debate over whether India play to their strength and prepare rank-turners for the upcoming four-Test series. Duminy feels it's absolutely fair to play to your advantage.

"That's the beauty of having a home series. You have the opportunity to play to your advantage. Why would you not. It would be silly to think that you would not want to utilise that (rank-turners) in your favour.

"I certainly see that will be the case in the series. Whenever you travel to the Sub-continent that's always something you face. You need to be able to prepare for that. If you want to be the best in the world, you have to be able to perform in all conditions," he asserted.

Pandya can become a great player for India across formats

Ace India all-rounder Hardik Pandya is seen as a white-ball maverick but Duminy sees no reason why Pandya cannot become an all-format player? "I'm always going to advocate all formats if the player has the ability to influence the game. I've played with him as well, and I think he has the ability to be a great player for India across all formats. I would certainly encourage him to do (play) all formats."

NDTV

[Varun]

My prediction for the series is is 2-1 to Australia. You heard it here first!

We'll be over smart by making spinning decks but will underestimate Australia who will turn the tables on us.

Man of the Series: Lyon

[docteurmanish]

3-1 to India
Man of series will be jadeja / ashwin

Only chunk in indian armory is Kohli .

Rohit
Gill
Pujara
Kohli
Surya / jadeja / both
Bharath
Ashwin
Axar/ chinaman
Siraj
Shami

That’s a bowling lineup capable of running through any attack in the subcontinent .

Yadav , unadkat and Rahul , kissan are strong bench strength . Unsure if thakur and sundar in squad but they are available in case of injuries


It’s a v v strong team . Needs the past cheating Captain in top form or a group of spinners bowling fast accurate spin like how the English had in 2012 to
Dethrone this team .

Ayer will be available from test 2 and he might be the man of the series if not ashwin or jadeja .

India have selected well - players in form . Gill , sky , rohit , Ayer and even pujara has been in decent defense form .

[Mamoon]

With Langer and Paine out of the picture, Australia should be less scared of India.

Also, their nemesis Pant is unavailable. They are truly afraid of him.

Keeping these factors into consideration, Australia should be able to give a good account of themselves but ultimately, India should be able to win 3-1 or 3-0.

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

I don't think Indian curators will be as generous as their Pakistani counterparts and will most likely give them a spinning track. We are not known for preparing sporting tracks anyway. India are clear favourites to win this series. Anyone who thinks otherwise is either delusional or just trying to downplay Indian team. And we certainly don't need greats to win series at home.

Fans still think Australia will win this series?

[jeeteshssaxena]

Australia 3-0.
Gilchrist is not playing and other batters are out of form.

[jeeteshssaxena]

As for doctoring allegations, We have beaten Australia in aus two consecutive times, so we have already proved that we don't need any doctoring to win it

Ghar pe ghus kar maara tha, what else is needed?

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

Australia 3-0.
Gilchrist is not playing and other batters are out of form.

Another funny prediction by you.

[jeeteshssaxena]

Also this is India B side, similar to how Australia was during 2018 series.
Pant and Bumrah the two best players are missing.

So even if Australia wins there will be an asterisk on their victory.

[Nikhil_cric]

Also this is India B side, similar to how Australia was during 2018 series.
Pant and Bumrah the two best players are missing.

So even if Australia wins there will be an asterisk on their victory.

Absolutely . This Indian team has declined as well. Australia won't get a better chance to beat this side away

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

My asterisks still bother some fans.

[jeeteshssaxena]

Absolutely . This Indian team has declined as well. Australia won't get a better chance to beat this side away

3-0 to Aus, there pacers and spinners will be too much for our depleted team.

[jeeteshssaxena]

2 years ago Pant kicked the 'asterisk' poster on his face so hard that he is still crying

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

According to some fans, India beat strong Australian team at their home but India are not favourites at their own home against Australia?

It seems the guy who loves to give predictions and who always ends up with a an egg on his face didn't learn anything from the last prediction he gave in the ICC T20 WC.

[Master Blaster]

No doubts about this...

4-0

For the KangaSooks...

[dravidthewall]

2 years ago Pant kicked the 'asterisk' poster on his face so hard that he is still crying

Now Pant is not playing this series..'asterisk' can breathe in relief

[Nikhil_cric]

3-0 to Aus, there pacers and spinners will be too much for our depleted team.

India was struggling to beat BD of all teams in a Test match recently. Australia start as massive favourites

[FreakCricket]

Doctored pitches with minefield for lefties, we know whos going to take the series win and also nothing wrong with making pitches according to your game plan.

Barking dog seldom bite, previous Chairman PCB was all talk but no walk and created the worst pitch imaginable against Aussies and we still lost.

[jnaveen1980]

An early look at the Nagpur pitch �� #INDvAUS pic.twitter.com/S3BIu7qti8

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) February 7, 2023

Melodrama created by Aussies is comical lol Warner played on one of the most spin friendly pitch as his home ground in IPL for 7 or 8 seasons with rashid khan in his side. He is acting like he is visiting India for the first time All these guys are as familiar with Indian surfaces as Indians.

[charlie007]

Nothing but indirect pressure tactics to not dish out spinning pitches - won't work!

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

There is still time to change your predictions.

[RedwoodOriginal]

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say 2-1 Australia.

[docteurmanish]

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say 2-1 Australia.

Hmm . India 130 up and ready to likely win first test by innings I think

Still time u can change prediction . I have said 3-1 to india as india is bound to make a selection error . But indian bowling is strongest and add to that their batting ability till no 9 makes it near impossible to defeat this team .

Australia like always will fight and likely win one match max .

So long as ashwin- jadeja combo is there , it’s a v v hard team to beat at home .

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

3-0 to Aus, there pacers and spinners will be too much for our depleted team.

3-0 to Australia? What were you smoking when you made this prediction and all other past predictions regarding Indian team in ICC tournaments?

[Mahee]

this match is not won yet....remember the 2nd test with Bangla ? we were not able to chase even 100 runs in the 4th innings against such a pathetic team....imagine chasing 100 or 120 in 4th innings against world's best and greatest cricket team ? impossible to win...

[RamLakhan]

Predictions for BGT by Fox Cricket Analyst -

Adam Gilchrist: Australia (2-1)
Allan Border: Australia (2-1)
Kerry O'Keefe: Australia (2-1)
Isa Guha: India (2-1)

Superb predictions!

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

I already explained how they are favourites in my post. Not sure why anyone with even a little understanding of cricket would think its laughable.

This is one thing you are lacking it currently. Have you watched any cricket played in India before?

[RehanG]

3-1 India.

Aus wil manage to win one.

[RedwoodOriginal]

Hmm . India 130 up and ready to likely win first test by innings I think

Still time u can change prediction . I have said 3-1 to india as india is bound to make a selection error . But indian bowling is strongest and add to that their batting ability till no 9 makes it near impossible to defeat this team .

Australia like always will fight and likely win one match max .

So long as ashwin- jadeja combo is there , it’s a v v hard team to beat at home .

Yeah this is about to turn into an embarrassing prediction, I think haha.

3-1 India feels like a more realistic result.

[SamNJ]

Do Aussies have it in them to turn it around from here ?

[dravidthewall]

Don't hype Indian team soo much. Remember after 36 allout ,india rose and won the series. Same thing may happen with Australia too. In cricket you never underestimate anyone. Anything can happen in cricket