Australia will likely start Handscomb as they try to maximise their left-heavy lineup.

In Nagpur, Peter Handscomb is poised to return to Test cricket after a four-year sabbatical as Australia considers moving the 31-year-old into the middle order to balance out their left-heavy lineup. After the pitch at the VCA Stadium appeared to have been meticulously curated to leave dry patches beyond the left-handers’ off-stump at either end, Handscomb, 31, who last played in a Test in 2019, has apparently moved to the front of the line to begin the 2023 Border-Gavaskar Test series.

The Australia skipper Pat Cummins acknowledged that the disadvantage for left-handers would be an issue in this Test but declined to go into a discussion about the selective watering of the pitch.

“I believe it affects this area. On the eve of the Test match, he stated, “With so much traffic from the right-handers bowling, there is sometimes a little more out there for the left-handers.

All-rounder Cameron Green’s finger injury, which hasn’t sufficiently healed for him to start the series in Nagpur, has prompted discussions about drafting Handscomb into the starting XI. In Green’s place, Matt Renshaw made his own comeback to Test cricket in the Sydney Test against South Africa. However, if he were to be selected here, the Australia top-seven would have five left-handers, and Cummins anticipates that they will need to find quick solutions throughout this Test.
Right outside where the left-handed batters are batting, right arm rapid bowlers—even the offies—have a lot of traffic. For lefties, it might occasionally be challenging. You must have those alternatives available, including reverse sweeps and a fairly clear way.

After their initial assessment of the Nagpur surface seemed to convince them that it will take spin, and do so pretty early, Australia may also be prepared to grant 22-year-old off-spinner Todd Murphy his baggy green tomorrow morning. Even though Ashton Agar, a left-arm orthodox spinner, may give more diversity, especially against India’s right-handed batting lineup, the Nagpur surface will allow Cummins to select his two best spinners, even if they are both offspinners by definition.

It plays a role. Since they spin a lot under these circumstances, I believe that the goal should be to bowl consistently well. The conditions will present themselves to you, so I don’t think you need to look for them elsewhere. You’ve seen how productive Nath [Lyon] has been over here. Right-handers tend to make a lot of bat pad and leg slide catches, so in theory you should have variation in any approach, but I don’t think that needs to be the case just for show.

“I believe Murphy would be as ready as he could be. He has been bowling superbly in these nets. In first-class cricket for Victoria, he has had a great start. If he received the go-ahead, Nathan Lyon is waiting on the other end with whom he can collaborate. He is prepared; everyone on this squad has done a great job of preparing. Everyone we choose is completely prepared to travel.

Cummins said that he was unconcerned by all the chatter about pitches and how much sway the BCCI appeared to have with the curators in obtaining what appeared to be custom pitches. “I believe that’s a component of the difficulty of playing away. Home teams aim to triumph there. Australia is fortunate to have both pace and bounce. However, I don’t think it’s a bad idea to have home match advantage. Knowing that the circumstances are ideal for them adds another obstacle to the already difficult task of travelling here.

The toss might be exaggerated, especially in pitches that start turning right away, he added. “I believe we’ll bat” (laughs). I believe the toss is actually not [a issue] when the conditions spin from day one. India wins just as many games when batting second as they do when batting first, if you’ve seen their record. When the circumstances do spin incredibly quickly, I believe it might be overblown.