Australia name unchanged XI for second Test

Australia have named an unchanged playing XI on the eve of the second Test in Bangalore. After gaining an early 1-0 lead in the four-match series following Australia’s 333-run win in Pune, Steve Smith, confirmed that the visitors will retain the same side despite the expectedly different wicket at the M Chinnaswamy stadium.

“It looks a little bit different to the last one (in Pune),” Smith said on Friday (March 3). “I think they were going to cut a little bit more of the grass off, but it looks like a wicket that will have a bit more pace and carry as the game goes on. It will take a bit more spin, but it looks like a wicket that is quite similar to what England played on recently (during their five-Test tour to India late last year) where first innings runs are going to be crucial.

“If you can go big in the first innings it will set the team up. I think this one is more likely going to be one where we are going to have to go really big, but it could be totally different. It could play totally different to what we think at the moment. It’s about being able to sum it up and being adaptable and being able to communicate straight away what we think the wicket is like,” he added.

“I think they will feel under a little bit of pressure,” Smith said. “Obviously going into this series, all I heard was four-nil to them. So they’re one down and need to come back. We’re one win away from retaining the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, so things can happen pretty quickly here.

Australia XI: David Warner, Matthew Renshaw, Steve Smith (c), Shaun Marsh, Peter Handscomb, Mitchell Marsh, Matthew Wade, Mitchell Starc, Steve O’Keefe, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.