Leading the four-match series 2-1 after the first three, India will lock horns with Australia in the final Test of the 2023 Border Gavaskar Trophy at the Narendra Modi Stadium. Australia captain Steve Smith won the toss and decided to bat first.
This, with two sets of Prime Ministers, Narendra Modi and Anthony Albanese in attendance. All eyes will be on India’s batting unit who will be desperate to clear the cobwebs over their heads to make it to the World Test Championship final for the second consecutive time in the series-deciding fourth Test against Australia from Thursday in Ahmedabad.
For the hosts the equation remains simple. Win the series 3-1 and not depend on the result of Sri Lanka’s away rubber in New Zealand for a ticket to the WTC summit in June.
The Motera pitch looks different from the one used against England for the first time in 2021. Two Tests at this venue.
It looks well rolled, has an even cover of grass and a few dry spots on the surface, as Matthew Hayden observed before the match. Being morning time it looks a bit humid.
Spinners love to work in these conditions. The surface is going to break as the game progresses. It has plenty of wickets for the spinners, but it will play better than the previous pitches used in the series.
