‘Let’s have a cracking series’: Irfan Pathan takes a dig at Australia with image of WACA pitch

India and Australia are set to face off in a four-match Test series commencing on February 9. The opening Test is slated to take place at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur. With a place in the World Test Championship (WTC) Final up for grabs, both teams are expected to go all out from the very first game.

Amidst much speculation, debate has been swirling around the pitch that will be presented in Nagpur. Reports have suggested that the curators are preparing a rank-turner. Images of the Jamtha pitch have gone viral on the internet, indicating that it may behave differently for left-handed batters. This could be a cause for concern for Australia, who have several southpaws in their squad.

Despite the abundance of criticism, the final image of the Nagpur pitch has yet to be revealed. Nevertheless, fans and experts in Australia remain vocal in their disapproval of the pitch. Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan took a jab at these critics by sharing an image of the WACA pitch in 1997, which featured multiple large cracks. This serves as a reminder that pitches can vary greatly, and that the Nagpur pitch may not be as bad as some are making it out to be.

“Let’s have a cracking series;) #BGT #INDIA #australia,” wrote Irfan on Instagram.

While Australian fans and former cricketers have continued to express their disapproval of India’s potential to create a rank turner, their captain Pat Cummins has downplayed such concerns, asserting that these types of pitches are simply part of the game.

“That’s part of the challenge of playing away. Home teams want to win at home. In Australia, we’re lucky we’ve normally got pace and bounce. Home match advantage, I don’t think it’s a terrible thing. It’s another challenge and makes touring over here even harder when you know the conditions are custom-made for them,” Cummins told reporters. 

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 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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