India vs Australia – 1st Test Match Preview & Prediction
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THE FACTS
When is India vs Australia taking place? Thursday, February 9th, 2023 – 04:00 (UK)
Where is India vs Australia taking place? Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur
What channel is India vs Australia on? The match will be televised live on BT Sport in the UK
Where can I stream India vs Australia? BT Sport subscribers in the UK will be able to stream the match live via the BT Sport app
LAST MEETING
India beat Australia by three wickets
THE PREDICTION
One of the most anticipated series in Test match cricket kicks off in Nagpur, as India and Australia do battle for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The last time these two nations met in this form of the game, it was India who made history by heroically beating Australia down under by two matches to one despite trailing at one stage and being without numerous players through injury. However, this time round home advantage is in India’s favour and they will enter this series as favourites.
Rohit Sharma captains the hosts and will be more than happy at the options available to him with both bat and ball. In what is expected to be a match (and series) dominated by spin, to have bowlers such as Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav all at his disposal if required will certainly make up for the absence of pacer Jasprit Bumrah through injury. Australia of course, boast spinner Nathan Lyon and a host of quality fast bowlers. However, their lack of quality depth in the spin-department compared to India may well end up haunting them, with the pitch likely to turn substantially from very early on.
The batting among both teams looks to be strong and this first Test will likely be decided on who bowls better across the five-days (should the match last that long). Ultimately, the Indian players are more experienced when it comes to facing top quality spin and when you also take into account the spinners available to them compared to Australia, then backing India to win in Nagpur has to be favoured.
