IND vs AUS, 2nd Test: Adelaide pitch report, weather forecast ...

India’s captain Rohit Sharma during a training session at the Adelaide Oval. | Photo Credit: AFP

India’s captain Rohit Sharma during a training session at the Adelaide Oval. | Photo Credit: AFP

India romped its way to a victory in the series opener in Perth, and extended its lead in the five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy will be on the card for Rohit Sharma’s side in the second match starting in Adelaide from Friday.

The visitor played a pink-ball practice match against the Prime Minister’s XI last week to gear up for the stern Test that awaits. Australia is unbeaten at the Adelaide Oval in day-night Tests.

India has played 13 matches in Adelaide and won just twice, lost 10 times and drawn three matches. In its last appearance here, aits first day-night Test in Australia, India lost by eight wickets.

Adelaide is often appreciated for offering competitive wickets to both batters and bowlers. The head curator, Damian Hough, in the lead up to the match said the pitch has always offered some help to the spinners and will continue to do so for the upcoming match.

But pace has been the most potent weapon at the Adelaide Oval with the quicks managing 173 wickets at 26.98. Mitchell Starc’s six for 66 against Pakistan is the best spell by a bowler at the ground.

The spinners have taken 47 wickets in the seven day-night Tests here at an average just above 38. Out of these 28 have been grabbed by Nathan Lyon who has played all seven games.

Out of the 82 Tests played at the venue, teams winning the toss have opted to bat 72 times. The decision has yielded a win on 33 occasions. Only twice has a team won the toss, opted to bowl and secured a win at the Adelaide Oval.

The stats are pretty even for the day-night Tests too here. Team winning the toss has won just three of the seven games here. In six matches, the team winning the toss opted to bat.

The only team that opted to bowl at the ground was England in 2017 and it lost the match by 120 runs.

On Friday, the conditions are expected to be overcast with spells of rain in the morning. This might prompt the captain winning the toss to make the most of pace-friendly conditions and bowl first.

However, the teams will be vary of chasing given the highest total chased at Adelaide in a day-night Test is 187, by Australia against New Zealand in 2015.