India got caught up in the hype of green track: Glenn McGrath

The Perth surface which was a totally green track promised a lot to the pacers. Indian captain Virat Kohli also sounded quite confident in terms of his understanding of the pitch at the press conference on the eve of the game. Kohli asserted that they weren’t nervous but indeed excited to play on such a lively track. This morning, many were surprised to see India play four pacers including Umesh Yadav.

However, the ploy to play an all-pace attack backfired in the first few hours of the day. Australian openers Aaron Finch and Marcus Harris batting first struck a 112-run stand. Meanwhile, part-time spinner Hanuma Vihari made use of the bounce on offer from the surface and picked up a couple of wickets as well.

India got caught up in the hype of green track

Former Australian pacer Glenn McGrath was quite baffled with the decision. He didn’t take time and fired shots at the Indian team management. The legend remarked that India were fooled by all the talk going around with the pitch. McGrath has a record 52 wickets at the WACA in Perth which is no longer a Test venue and was replaced by the New Perth Stadium.

“They have got caught up in the hype and felt this pitch was going to do everything, bounce, pace, carry, seam,” McGrath was quoted as saying to Channel Seven.

Even the likes of Michael Vaughan and Sunil Gavaskar felt that Ravindra Jadeja would’ve played an integral role here. They were of the opinion that someone of his calibre would have been really handy for India on this surface. Australia fielded an unchanged XI. After watching Vihari relish the conditions here, Nathan Lyon would be willing to bowl Indian batsmen on Day 2.

While Australia had a good start, India managed to pull things back in the second and third session. However, the hosts still have an edge. With the scoreline is 1-0 in favour of India after the Adelaide Test, the Baggy Greens will be hellbent to win the game and level the series.

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