India vs Australia 2nd Test: Delhi weather forecast, pitch report, probable XIs

Delhi: Team India has already put themselves in a comfortable position in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy, registering a dominating victory in the opening Test. They will be aiming to extend their lead in the four-match series when they square off against Australia for the next Test, beginning on 17 February at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi. On the other hand, the Aussie brigade will try to avoid the mistakes they made during the Nagpur Test and level the series.

Following their dominance in the first game, Indian spinners are expected to replicate their performance in the Delhi Test. In the previous clash, off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin grabbed 8 wickets, while Player of the Match Ravindra Jadeja picked up seven. The pitch at the Arun Jaitley Stadium is likely to favour them as well.

However, toss can play a pivotal role as the team batting first will get more assistance. Looking at the previous records at the venue, the average first-innings total here is 342 runs in contrast to the fourth innings’ average of 165 runs. India and Australia have earlier played seven Test matches here. Among them, the hosts have the superior record of winning three games, while the Aussies have won only one with the remaining contests ending in a draw.

The ground has witnessed some memorable achievements by Indian spinners. Legendary bowler Anil Kumble notched up his historic 10-wicket haul against Pakistan in a 1999 Test at this venue, which was then known as Feroz Shah Kotla. As the upcoming match is anticipated to see a spinner-friendly surface, it is possible for Ashwin and Jadeja to record another worth-remembering outing.

Weather Report: 

The weather at the Arun Jaitley Stadium is predicted to be sunny from 17 February to 21 February. Hence, the rain will not play a spoilsport during the second Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The wind speed is expected to be around 5-8 km/h during the five-day match, while the temperature could hover from 14 degrees Celsius to 31 degrees Celsius. The days will be warmer and the humidity is expected to be around 70-80 percent.

Probable Playing XIs:

India: Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Srikar Bharat (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj.

Australia: Usman Khawaja, David Warner, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Alex Carey (wk), Peter Handscomb, Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon and Todd Murphy.

Match starts: 9:30 am.

Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.