The Australian cricket team didn’t have a favourable outing in the first test match at Nagpur. They were at the receiving end, to face defeat by an inning and 132 runs. But they have always been known for their strong comeback performances.
As some areas needed rectification for the second game, let’s look at the three changes Australia might consider for the next match in Delhi from the 17th to the 21st of February.
- Mitchell Starc in place of Scott Boland
The star left-arm pacer missed the first game against India due to injury. If deemed fit, it is expected that he would feature for Australia in the second game in Delhi.
Scott Boland, who played the first game in Nagpur, bowled decent line and length but failed to give his team much-needed breakthroughs. With the abundance of experience that Starc has against India, replacing Boland could be a significant, impactful change for Australia.
“Starcy (Starc) lands today or tomorrow into Delhi,” Cummins said on Saturday after Australia’s crushing defeat.
- Cameron Green in place of Peter Handscomb
Following an unfortunate injury, all-rounder Cameron Green had to miss the first test against India.
“Greeny’s a bit of a wait-and-see. Still hoping (he will play); he’s had a couple of good hits out here. He’s bowling pretty good; the next couple of days we’ll assess it,” said the skipper.
Looking at his past performances and contribution, it’s a no-brainer that Aussies will be eager to get him in place of Peter Handscomb, who failed to carry on in the previous match. He is an attacking player and has scored 806 runs in 18 games, along with 23 wickets. If fit, he is likely to get a green signal to walk straight into the playing XI.
- Travis Head in place of Matt Renshaw
One change that Australia might be eager to make and should do is to bring Travis Head back in place of Matt Renshaw. Fair enough to say, the move to playing Matt Renshaw ahead of Travis Head backfired as he failed drastically and scored mere two runs in two innings.
On the contrary, Travis Head has been one of the best batters for Australia in the longest format of the game for one year. Ranked number 4 in the ICC test batting ranking, he can be expected to return to the playing XI for the second test match.