New Delhi: Australia will take on India in the first Test match at the Optus Stadium in Perth on November 22. For the first time since 1991-92, the Border-Gavaskar Trophy will have five Test matches instead of four. The Men in Blue recently lost against New Zealand by 3-0 at home and their chances to qualify for the third consecutive World Test Championship final also took a massive blow.
The series is also crucial for the new coach-captain pair of Gautam Gambhir and Rohit Sharma, who will be eager to silence their critics after the home Test series defeat against New Zealand. Meanwhile, Australia have lost the last four Border-Gavaskar series, including two at home and they will be hungrier than ever.
Team India will be without their regular captain Rohit Sharma for the Perth Test and Jasprit Bumrah will lead the team in his absence. To book a spot in the WTC final, India need to win four Test matches, even a 3-2 win could not be enough for Rohit and Co. to qualify for the WTC final.
Weather report
As per Accuweather, the weather is expected to be sunny, and there is no chance of rain in the 1st Test match. Any early moisture on the pitch could influence the ball’s movement, making the initial hours challenging for batters. The temperature is expected to be around 16 to 22 degrees Celsius. The Humidity will be around 54 percent.
Pitch report
The Pitch at the Optus Stadium is known for its pace and bounce, often testing batters’ resilience. But the unseasonal rains in Perth have disrupted ground staff’s preparations. The pitch curator said that the surface will retain some standing grass and will offer pace and bounce.
“I don’t think this weather is going to make this pitch fall apart. There’ll be some deterioration. Grass will stand up during the game and offer that variable bounce. But in terms of big-snake WACA cracks, unfortunately, I don’t think the weather’s going to get us there” Pitch curator Issac McDonald said on November 20.
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