Meet Mahesh Pithiya – R Ashwin’s duplicate roped in by Australia to gear up for India challenge

Australia has left no stone unturned in their preparation for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar series against India, having enlisted a Ravichandran Ashwin duplicate to help them train more effectively. Maheesh Pithiya, who bears an uncanny resemblance to Ashwin’s bowling action, has been working with the Australian team in the lead-up to the four-match Test series.

The Australians are making every effort to ensure they are prepared for the upcoming series with India. From employing lookalike spinners to creating custom-made surfaces to engaging in lengthy practice sessions at Alur, the visitors are leaving no stone unturned in their preparation. The Australians have devised a unique strategy to tackle the challenge, as they anticipate India to capitalize on their home advantage and set up spin-friendly tracks.

Pithiya, a native of Junagadh in Gujarat, is a spin bowler who is training with the Australian batters to help them prepare for Ravichandran Ashwin’s formidable spin-bowling prowess in the highly anticipated Border-Gavaskar series. Interestingly, Pithiya’s bowling action is entirely unique, as he had not seen Ashwin bowl until he was 11 years old due to his family not having a television set at the time.

Steve Smith practiced Mahesh Pithiya bowling who’s a quite similar bowler like Ashwin. #BorderGavaskarTrophy#INDvsAUS #INDvAUSpic.twitter.com/BVVadbk6RV
— Drink Cricket  (@Abdullah__Neaz) February 3, 2023

To everyone’s delight, Ashwin quickly became Pithiya’s idol when he first witnessed him playing for India against West Indies in 2013. Pithiya then made his first-class debut in December for Baroda and has been compared to his cricketing hero on numerous occasions.

With spin-friendly conditions in India, Ravichandran Ashwin is poised to be the greatest challenge for Australia in the upcoming Test series. In anticipation of this, the Australian support staff reached out to Pithiya, a renowned spin coach, and invited him to the KSCA Ground in Alur to train the Australian batters. The Karnataka Cricket Association has gone the extra mile to ensure the success of the Australian team, having prepared three pitches specifically to aid the spinners, with each pitch taking more turn as the day progresses.

This has been a rivalry to savor for cricket fans around the globe, and Australia has suffered three consecutive series defeats against India, including two on their own turf. Nevertheless, this Australian team, led by Pat Cummins, is the strongest they have had in years.

India and Australia will kick-start the four-match Test series on February 9 in Nagpur, with the goal of securing a place in the World Test Championship final. Australia is comfortably perched atop the rankings with 75.56 percentage points, while India is ranked second with 58.93 percentage points. A win in the upcoming series will guarantee their spot in the championship showdown.

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