"Drought of runs from the Indian top-order will end tomorrow"- Aakash Chopra ahead of Day 3 of IND vs AUS 4th Test
Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra is confident that the hosts will put up a big first-innings score against Australia in the fourth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Ahmedabad.
Australia scored a massive 480 runs in their first essay and batted for almost two days. However, Chopra feels that the pitch is a belter and the Indian batters will enjoy playing their shots by trusting the surface.
In a video on his YouTube channel, here's what Aakash Chopra had to say about India's reply to Australia's first-innings score:
"I feel the drought of runs from the Indian top-order will end tomorrow. I feel there will be atleast 2-3 hundreds and one of them could also be a double hundred.
"If India score somewhere around 600 and bat till the evening of Day 4, they can trigger Australia's collapse and hope. But largely it feels like a result here is not possible."
Chopra further explained why he felt that a result didn't seem likely on the benign Ahmedabad pitch. He added:
"Two days of play done and still, only 10 wickets have fallen in the Test. If our quality of bowlers and our five-bowler theory can take two whole days to pick 10 wickets, I feel it will be more difficult for the Australians to bowl us out. I feel this game will end in a stalemate."
India ended Day 2 of the Ahmedabad Test on 36/0, trailing the Aussies by 444 runs.
Aakash Chopra on Ravichandran Ashwin's 6/91
Although the pitch had nothing in it for the spinners, Ravichandran Ashwin managed to record figures of 6/91. In the process, he completed his staggering 32nd five-wicket haul in Tests. Ashwin also became the highest wicket-taker in Border-Gavaskar Trophy history.
Aakash Chopra heaped praise on the veteran spinner and stated:
"Ravichandran Ashwin showed his class with the ball. Some big Indian players don't have as many Man of the Match awards as Ashwin has Man of the Series awards.
"If despite all this you all feel that this was his best performance, it speaks a lot about his bowling today. He didn't try anything fancy, just continued to hit consistent lines and lengths and made those subtle variations in pace."
The hosts will now be keen to bat all of Day 3 and wear down the Australian bowlers. They will certainly need major contributions from Rohit Sharma (17 batting) and Shubman Gill (18 batting).