India vs Australia, Nagpur pitch report: How will the turf behave in 1st IND vs AUS Test?

The highly anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy series between India and Australia will kick off with the first Test match at the VCA Stadium in Nagpur. This is the first time the two top-ranked teams will face each other in a Test series in India since 2017. Both teams come into this series with a lot of confidence, with India looking to continue their dominant run on home soil and Australia hoping to overcome the challenges posed by the Indian conditions. 

The stage is set for a thrilling and competitive series, with both India and Australia boasting strong batting and bowling line-ups. The first Test match promises to be a fascinating encounter, with all eyes on the pitch to see how it will play a role in determining the outcome of the game. The series is also important in the context that it will decide India's fate in the current cycle of the World Test Championship and whether the team will make it to the finals. 

The opening match in Nagpur is expected to feature a rank-turner pitch. India will aim to use their strong spin bowling attack to defeat the Australians and take advantage of their home conditions. However, this could also prove to be a challenge as Indian batsmen have had difficulty against spin recently, while Australia has a highly skilled spinner in Nathan Lyon.

The VCA Stadium will host its 7th Test match, with no red-ball cricket played there since the 2017 Test against Sri Lanka. In the six previous Tests at this stadium, India has won four, lost one, and drawn one. The tracks have generally produced results, with one team scoring 500 runs in four out of the six games. The 2012 match against England was the exception, with both teams scoring just over 300 in 140 overs. However, teams have also managed to take 20 wickets in most matches. But, as seen in 2015 with South Africa, a rank turner cannot be ruled out.

Border-Gavaskar Trophy: Full squads

India's squad (first two Tests): Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul (vc), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KS Bharat, Ishan Kishan, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat, Suryakumar Yadav.

Australia's squad: Pat Cummins (c), Ashton Agar, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Lance Morris, Todd Murphy, Matthew Renshaw, Steve Smith (vc), Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, David Warner.

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