Australia unchanged for second India Test

BANGALORE: Virat Kohli on Friday dismissed Australia’s claim that India are under pressure following their heavy opening Test defeat as “mind games”, insisting there will be no repeat performance in the second clash. Steve Smith’s Australia side, who started the four-match series as underdogs, humiliated topranked India by 333 runs inside just three days in Pune last week, meaning the hosts must triumph in Bangalore to keep alive their hopes of winning the contest. Smith told Australian media that India will be BANGALORE: Australia captain Steve Smith said on Friday that the visitors will go with the same team that thrashed India in the opening Test for the second encounter in Bangalore.

The tourists stunned the Virat Kohli-led hosts and the world’s number one side in the first Test in Pune last week to go 1-0 up in the four match series.

The second-ranked Australians, who came into the series as underdogs, humiliated the home side in just three days by beating them at their own game of spin on a viciously turning track.

Smith, who led from the front with a gritty century in Australia’s second innings, said he had no hesitations in declaring the same XI for the second Test Bangalore’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium.

“Same team. Based on the way we performed “under (a) little bit of pressure” going into the second Test, stressing his side were just a couple of good sessions away from retaining the BorderGavaskar Trophy.

But skipper Kohli told reporters that India were focusing on their game rather than bothering about what the opposition was saying.

“I am pretty relaxed, I am happy I am smiling. It’s his (Smith’s) views, whatever he wants to say,” said Kohli at Bangalore’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium, on the eve of the Test starting on Saturday.

“It’s time we focus on our skills more than what Australia is saying or Australia is preparing. I know these mind games and these press conferences are something they are very good at.

“We’ve still got to play the cricket we have played in the last two years and see where the series ends in the fourth game,” he added.

The world number two Australians beat India at their own game of spin, restricting the hosts last week. It was a good mix of two fast bowlers, an allrounder that bowls quick and two quality spinners as well,” Smith told reporters on the eve of match, which starts Saturday.

Left-arm spinner Steve O’Keefe claimed a careerbest match haul of 12 wickets to help skittle out India for paltry scores of 105 and 107 in Pune, but the tourists expect a different track in Bangalore.

Smith said he expected the Indian pitches to behave the same way as they did during India’s recent 4-0 series win over England when batsmen playing the second innings found it hard to score runs. “First innings there were big runs scored and the pitch obviously deteriorated and spinner could come into play probably later on.

“So looking at this wicket we think it’s going of Kohli added. While the Pune wicket was rated “poor” by match referee Chris Broad and attracted lot of criticism, Kohli expects the Bangalore pitch to favour the Indians. BIG FIRST-INNINGS TOTAL “Whenever we have played Test cricket out here we have done really well,” he said. “The last time we played a Test match (there) we won, even against Australia the last time we played here we won. So obviously those things are big positives for us,” he added. Smith told reporters that a big first innings total would be key as Australia seek to take an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the series. “Looking at the wicket it’s crucial to score big first innings runs and that’s about playing ourselves and trying to bat long periods and build big partnerships,” said Smith. “The last wicket we played on we thought 250 was a good total. On this occasion I think it’s going to be a lot more than that in the first innings,” he said. “We know that we have to win one more game to regain the BorderGavaskar Trophy and things can happen pretty quickly here in India at certain times. to be similar to those games against England,” he added.

Kohli refused to give anything away about India’s likely line-up, saying the team management would leave it to the 11th hour before deciding on who would get the nod.

“As far as the team combination, throwing in a lot of options, and eventually we will come to a conclusion this evening what is the XI that we want to go with,” said Kohli.

“But there is all kinds of possibilities tomorrow morning, maybe a few surprises as well,” he added.

Australia XI: David Warner, Matt Renshaw, Steven Smith (capt), Shaun Marsh, Peter Handscomb, Mitchell Marsh, Matthew Wade, Mitchell Starc, Steve O’Keefe, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood. — AFP