AUS vs IND 1st Test - Five Key Battles to Watch Out

The most awaited and highly anticipated Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) between India and Australia will kick off at Optus Stadium in Perth with the first test of a five-match test series on Friday. India is heading into the high-octane series after suffering an ignominious defeat of 3-0 at the hands of New Zealand in October. Contrastingly, Australia hasn't featured in a red-ball battle since March.

This marquee series has a lot at stake, as both teams need to win the rubber comprehensively in a bid to play in the WTC Finals next year in June. Here, we'll look at some key battles between the players from both sides who could dictate the on which way the pendulum will swing.

Josh Hazlewood vs. Virat Kohli

The Indian talismanic batter Virat Kohli is enduring a lean patch of late, having scored 1722 runs at 33.11 since the last Australia tour, painting a sorry picture for arguably one of the greatest batsmen of the generation.  However, he can find solace from his past sparkling showings in Down Under, averaging 53.13 and having the wood over one of the best pacers, Josh Hazlewood, while averaging 55.7 against him.

Kohli would like to throw his punches right from the word go against the Australian quick to extend his glorious streak down under. On the other hand, Josh Hazlewood will be desperate to win the battle against the best. He would like to cash in on Virat's recent frailties in dealing with outside off-stump deliveries.

Yashasvi Jaiswal vs. Mitchell Starc 

The young dynamic opener will face the stringest test, considering this would be his first gig down under. Meanwhile, Mitchell Starc has not been at his menacing best of late, which he would like to brush aside. Speaking about the battle between them, they have locked horns against each other briefly in IPL Cricket, but the sample size is too small to make a judgment.

However, Jaiswal's struggling video footage against South African quicks must have reached Starc. And the left-armer would like to cash in on the vulnerability of the young opener. On the other hand, Jaiswal would like to counter this threat by applying his own audacious method, putting the left-armer into swords from the outset.

Ravichandran Ashwin vs Travis Head 

Given Australia having three left-handers in their playing eleven, along with experience of playing in down under, Ashwin will highly likely get the nod over Jadeja and Sundar. Meanwhile, swashbuckling Travis Head hasn't fared well in whites recently, as he has had only a lone hundred to show in his last 15 innings; thereby, an opportunity awaits for him to unleash against his "favourite rival." 

Between the pair, the battle is neatly poised as Head averages 41.70 against Ashwin, who has dismissed him thrice. However, the southpaw's strike rate drops to 42.40 against the off-spinner, giving an indication of Head's no-holds-barred approach to taking a backseat against offies. 

Ever since the last India tour, the left-hander has been averaging 54 while striking at 87.46 in the summer at home. While Ashwin's outing in Adelaide, Melbourne, and Sydney on the last tour (taking 12 wickets at 28.83) suggests an intense rivalry is in the offing.

Jasprit Bumrah vs Australia's new opening duo

With Nathan McSweeney set to face the new red cherry in his maiden test series, there's an excitement and apprehension in Australian air concurrently. He, along with an out-of-form Usman Khawaja, will be up against treacherous quick Jasprit Bumrah. Bumrah can set the tone for India with his menacing swingers; he'll be raring to have a go at the hosts new opening duo.  An arduous assignment to deal with Bumrah's new ball awaits McSweeney, who is yet to bat at the opening position even in first-class cricket.

Australia's Pace Trio vs India’s Lower Order 

With the unavailability of Skipper Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill in the curtain-raiser, the batting onus will fall on the rookies in Dhruv Jurel and Nitish Reddy to negate the threat of Australia's vaunted pace attack of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Mitchell Starc. There will be oodles of expectations on wicketkeeper-batsman Dhruv Jurel, who made his waves in the cricketing fraternity of late, showing glimpses of his burgeoning potential while battling it out in the practice matches.

Nitish Reddy is set to debut in the marquee series at number seven, following Morne Morkel's succinct hint during the presser. Andhra's seaming all-rounder will aim to replicate Shardul Thakur’s impactful performances in challenging overseas conditions. Their ability to handle wicket-keeping and bowling responsibilities, along with tackling Australia's lethal pace attack, could prove pivotal in shaping the series. For cricket betting enthusiasts, this match presents an exciting opportunity to predict key performances and series outcomes. 

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