If day one of the first Test match is anything to go by, this India vs Australia series is going to be an absolute humdinger.
All the scores after day one of the first Test
On a track that sometimes turned square and most of the time had plenty in it for the spinners, Australia showed they have come into this series much better prepared and determined to give India a real fight.
They might have folded quicker than a house of cards the last time they toured India and in their recent trip to Sri Lanka, but this is clearly a much more resolute Australian side.
Having picked up some confidence by winning their last four Test matches at home, the Aussies came into this India series, after spending quite a bit of time in Dubai, trying to simulate as much of the Indian conditions and pitches as possible.
All that hard work seems to have worked out, at least going by just how well they batted on the opening day of this first Test match at the MCA Stadium in Pune.
Most teams would have crumbled quicker than a cookie when they saw R Ashwin, given the new ball, spinning the ball as much as he did, but with David Warner and Matt Renshaw setting an example – that if you battle it out in the middle, you can survive – the Aussies showed some impressive technique, graft and quality against the spinners.
Ironically, it was Umesh Yadav, the India fast bowler, who took the most wickets on this day one pitch with four, as Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Jayant Yadav could only manage a combined wicket tally of five.
All that hard work that Australia did put in might have come to nought when India found a way through, picking up a few quick wickets, but that fight came to the fore again as Mitchell Starc counter-attacked wonderfully to ensure the visitors would not be all out on the opening day.
With Starc looking good in the middle and Josh Hazlewood showing he can block the ball to good effect, Australia will look to push their first innings total beyond 300, which, on this wicket, could prove to be a really good one.
How difficult this wicket is to bat on, though, will only be really known when India come in to bat – so expect day two to be just as absorbing.
