The epic battle of a four-match Test series between India and Australia is set to get underway on February 9 in Nagpur. Test matches between the two nations have seen several tremendous rivalries. The rivalry between Sachin Tendulkar and Shane Warne is still fresh in cricket lovers’ minds.
The upcoming series between India and Australia is key to determining the ICC World Test Championship finalists. In fact, in this mouth-watering series, there will be some crucial battles between the players on both sides.
Virat Kohli vs Nathan Lyon
Former Indian captain Virat Kohli and Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon have faced each other several times in the longest format of the game. Both tried to dominate on the field. On one hand, Kohi was able to hit Lyon all over the ground, but Lyon was not far behind in duping the champion batter and getting him out seven times. Once again, both players have a chance to prove their supremacy against each other.
Cheteshwar Pujara- Josh Hazlewood
Cheteshwar Pujara’s defiant knock has anguished the Australian bowling attack in recent years. Josh Hazlewood had to sweat on the ground to take Pujara’s wicket. However, the Indian wall forced the bowler to work hard. Hazlewood dismissed Pujara six times. The Indian batter played a crucial role in the 2018–19 and again in the 2020–21 Test series. Incidentally, India won both series with an identical margin of 2-1 on Australian soil.
Ashwin-Warner
Warner, the belligerent batter, has faced difficulty against the spin of Ashwin. In Test cricket, the Indian spinner got him out ten times. It seems, Warner would like to be in an attacking mode against Ashwin to get runs quickly on the turning Indian pitches. But Ashwin knows how to get rid of Warner.
Rohit Sharma and Pat Cummins
Both the skippers would like to prove themselves against each other. Rohit as an opener and should be careful against Cummins, who would like to get rid of India’s skipper early to put India under pressure.
The Test series between India and Australia is set to be a heroic battle. In fact, India is the favourite on its home turf.