"It will be tough for Australia to survive if they play on square turners"- Rashid Latif
Former Pakistan cricketer Rashid Latif feels that Australian batters may not be able to withstand the quality of Indian spinners if they play on rank turners during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy starting later this week.
The visitors refused to play a warm-up game and have instead set up a preparatory camp at the KSCA Stadium in Alur. The Aussies had also practiced in Sydney by creating a rough and simulating conditions that they could get in the subcontinent.
In a recent video on the YouTube channel 'Caught Behind', Rashid Latif explained why India's quality spinners like Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin would make life difficult for the visitors on the turning track. He said:
"The Australian batters are putting in the hard yards, but I feel it will be tough for them to survive if they play on square turners. Jadeja is back in the team, Ashwin has already done well in Nagpur and they may also play Kuldeep Yadav as the third spinner. Reverse swing could also be a factor and if it's to a greater degree then I feel that with the pace and spin options that India have, they will dominate."
Australia won't give up as easily as England did: Rashid Latif
Although Rashid Latif claimed that India would dominate Australia on a rank turner, he feels the visitors will not go down without a fight. England toured India in 2021 and just surrendered in the final three Tests to lose the series 3-1. Latif feels the Aussies will show some fight and the hosts won't be able to just walk over them.
On this, the former wicketkeeper stated:
"Australia won't give up as easily as England did. They have a settled combination with many players being a part of the team for a while. They will fight till the last ball and will certainly challenge the hosts. So I don't think the first two sessions will set the tone for the series as they can fight back."
It will be interesting to see the kind of pitch India dish out in the first Test in Nagpur on Thursday.