Rodney Hogg has forecast that Australia will enter the second Test against India with an unchanged lineup following its stunning win in the series opener.
The former Australian fast bowler has told SEN’s The Run Home that both Shaun and Mitch Marsh will retain their spots for the Test in Bangalore, which starts on Saturday, despite neither solidifying their places in the XI in Pune.
“The captain (Steve Smith) doesn’t like (Glenn) Maxwell for starters, so Maxwell won’t get in and there is no one to take Mitchell Marsh’s spot,” Hogg said.
“Maxwell should be in the team, (Mitch) Marsh was very good in the second innings – he batted for about 60 balls, which was good…and Shaun Marsh deserves another guernsey.”
India hasn’t played a full Test match in Bangalore since 2012 – their last Test against South Africa in 2015 was nearly entire washed out – but Hogg expects a flatter pitch than the one served up in Pune.
“They prepared a wicket that whoever batted first was going to win on it,” he said of the Pune deck.
“They won’t prepare another wicket that allows whoever wins the toss to win the game,” he said.
“They want five days and they want to keep us out there – they want to wear the Australians down.”
R Sudhakar Rao, secretary at the Karnataka State Cricket Association, said that the groundstaff at M Chinnaswamy Stadium have been instructed to provide a surface that will ensure the match lasts longer than in Pune.
"So far we have not been told anything," he told the Hindu,
"Once they arrive, we have to see if they make any suggestions.
"Our intention is to prepare a sporting, Test match pitch. We want a five-day match. We definitely don't want to see the match end in two and a half days."