<p>The spotlight will be on Test skipper Virat Kohli as India ‘A’ go into the second and final four-day match against Australia ‘A’ here on Wednesday.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Looking to get some vital competitive match practice ahead of a potentially tough Sri Lanka tour, Kohli straightaway joined the practice session on Monday.<br /><br />One of the main reasons for his decision to play the match is to get acclimatised to the conditions which are expected to be similar to the ones in Colombo where he would be leading the Indian team for the first time in a three-Test series starting on August 12.<br />In the first match that ended last week, the wicket at the MA Chidambaram Stadium was slow, resulting in a drawn match.<br /><br />In the last three days, the groundsmen here have been working on the wicket and the match is likely to witness a strip that is to the liking of the players.<br /><br />In the first match, Indian spinners Pragyan Ojha and Amit Mishra were the biggest gainers with match hauls of six and five wickets respectively, while opening batsman KL Rahul (96 in first innings) stood out on a slow wicket. Cheteshwar Pujara, Vijay Shankar and Shreyas Iyer also chipped in with useful contributions.<br /><br />However, skipper Pujara will have to make do without the services of Rahul, Mishra and pacer Umesh Yadav, as the three who have been selected for India’s Test squad, have been given rest. <br /><br />“I don’t want to divulge the playing XI now but Rahul, Mishra and Umesh won’t be available. I will open the innings and Jayant Yadav will come into the team,” said the skipper on the eve of the match.<br /><br />Pujara also said that Varun Aaron has recovered from a bout of flu and is ready to take the field.<br /><br />Without their services, the hosts would need to up their game if they hope to put it across the Australian outfit in the second match.<br /><br />The visitors, on the other hand, would be banking on their strong pace attack and their first match hero left-arm spinner Stephen O’Keefe, who claimed eight wickets for the match. <br /><br />On paper, the hosts, coached by former India skipper Rahul Dravid, look a superior outfit with a mix of experienced players and young talent but they really need to fire collectively against the Aussies, who are a quality fielding and bowling unit.<br /><br />Pujara for better pitch<br /><br />Pujara was not exactly happy with how the Chepauk strip fared in the first match and is hoping that a better pitch will be on offer during the second ‘Test’ starting Wednesday.<br /><br />“Hopefully, it will be a better wicket where there is little more bounce. I mean it’s difficult to predict pitch conditions. It seems there is a little moisture on the wicket owing to the weather conditions. And it’s difficult to predict. It’s a different wicket as to what has been used for the last game,” he said.<br /><br />He was critical about the wicket provided for the last game. “Obviously, the wicket was slow and it was difficult for both batsmen and bowlers. Because it wasn’t coming on to bat. I don’t know how it will fare in this game,” the skipper said. <br /><br /></p>
<p>The spotlight will be on Test skipper Virat Kohli as India ‘A’ go into the second and final four-day match against Australia ‘A’ here on Wednesday.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Looking to get some vital competitive match practice ahead of a potentially tough Sri Lanka tour, Kohli straightaway joined the practice session on Monday.<br /><br />One of the main reasons for his decision to play the match is to get acclimatised to the conditions which are expected to be similar to the ones in Colombo where he would be leading the Indian team for the first time in a three-Test series starting on August 12.<br />In the first match that ended last week, the wicket at the MA Chidambaram Stadium was slow, resulting in a drawn match.<br /><br />In the last three days, the groundsmen here have been working on the wicket and the match is likely to witness a strip that is to the liking of the players.<br /><br />In the first match, Indian spinners Pragyan Ojha and Amit Mishra were the biggest gainers with match hauls of six and five wickets respectively, while opening batsman KL Rahul (96 in first innings) stood out on a slow wicket. Cheteshwar Pujara, Vijay Shankar and Shreyas Iyer also chipped in with useful contributions.<br /><br />However, skipper Pujara will have to make do without the services of Rahul, Mishra and pacer Umesh Yadav, as the three who have been selected for India’s Test squad, have been given rest. <br /><br />“I don’t want to divulge the playing XI now but Rahul, Mishra and Umesh won’t be available. I will open the innings and Jayant Yadav will come into the team,” said the skipper on the eve of the match.<br /><br />Pujara also said that Varun Aaron has recovered from a bout of flu and is ready to take the field.<br /><br />Without their services, the hosts would need to up their game if they hope to put it across the Australian outfit in the second match.<br /><br />The visitors, on the other hand, would be banking on their strong pace attack and their first match hero left-arm spinner Stephen O’Keefe, who claimed eight wickets for the match. <br /><br />On paper, the hosts, coached by former India skipper Rahul Dravid, look a superior outfit with a mix of experienced players and young talent but they really need to fire collectively against the Aussies, who are a quality fielding and bowling unit.<br /><br />Pujara for better pitch<br /><br />Pujara was not exactly happy with how the Chepauk strip fared in the first match and is hoping that a better pitch will be on offer during the second ‘Test’ starting Wednesday.<br /><br />“Hopefully, it will be a better wicket where there is little more bounce. I mean it’s difficult to predict pitch conditions. It seems there is a little moisture on the wicket owing to the weather conditions. And it’s difficult to predict. It’s a different wicket as to what has been used for the last game,” he said.<br /><br />He was critical about the wicket provided for the last game. “Obviously, the wicket was slow and it was difficult for both batsmen and bowlers. Because it wasn’t coming on to bat. I don’t know how it will fare in this game,” the skipper said. <br /><br /></p>