"When you play in India, you expect the wickets to turn" - Mohammad Azharuddin's verdict on the ongoing pitch debate ahead of Border-Gavaskar Trophy 

Former India captain Mohammad Azharuddin feels that the subcontinent conditions are expected to support spin bowling, which does not constitute as 'unfair' by any means.

The Australian media have been highly critical of the pitch, which is set to be used for the first Test in Nagpur, even accusing India of 'doctoring' the surface to an extent.

Spin is set to play a vital role in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The ability to play spin as well as the accuracy and efficiency with which the spinners bowl, will be key to the team's fate in the four-match affair.

The likes of Ravichandran Ashwin and Nathan Lyon will find that the conditions on offer will be right up their alley, while the other spinners are also expected to make an impact.

Bharat Sundaresan

@beastieboy07

Interesting treatment of the pitch in Nagpur. The groundstaff watered the entire centre of the surface & only the length areas outside the left-hander’s leg stump & then rolled only the centre, stopping short every time they got to the good length areas at both ends #IndvAus

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Interesting treatment of the pitch in Nagpur. The groundstaff watered the entire centre of the surface & only the length areas outside the left-hander’s leg stump & then rolled only the centre, stopping short every time they got to the good length areas at both ends #IndvAus https://t.co/Myr2ZblqCg

Noting that the Australians should have a problem with India trying to maximize their home advantage, Azharuddin told the Hindustan Times in an interview:

“Not unfair. When you play in India, you expect the wickets to turn. We are playing the home advantage, so I don’t think there’s any reason why anybody should have a problem with that."

Azharuddin continued:

“You will have to battle it out. It is going to be a challenge for both of the teams. India has a bunch of great spinners but if you look at the Australian side, they also have spinners who can exploit the conditions really well."

While Team India are expected to play three spinners, deducing Australia's spin combination becomes tricky, especially with all-rounder Cameron Green out injured.

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"Kohli staying in the wicket will be very, very important" - Mohammad Azharuddin

While a huge fraction of eyes will be on the pitch and spin bowling, there is set to be a focus on Virat Kohli as well. The former skipper is yet to re-stamp his authority in Test cricket, with his poor form against spin bowling also a mounting concern.

Hoping that Kohli scores heavily across the four-match series, Azharuddin said:

"I’m happy he’s doing well. The whole country is happy to see him do well. Hopefully, he will have a good series and score loads of run in the four Tests. Kohli staying in the wicket will be very, very important."

Azharuddin continued:

"He needs to score big. People think if he scores a fifty, he has failed. But he's a senior player, so he is expected to score big."

Team India will take on Australia in the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar series in Nagpur from Thursday, February 9, onwards.

Who will win the 2023 Border-Gavaskar Trophy? Let us know what you think.

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