India vs Australia: 'Ashwin is already inside their heads,' Wasim Jaffer takes dig after Aussies train with 'duplicate'

India and Australia have begun their final preparations for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which comprises four Tests.

The Indian unit kicked off their practice session on Friday at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur where both teams will square off for the first match on 9 February.

On the other hand, the visiting side chose the KSCA ground in Alur, Bengaluru as their training ground. There, the Aussies were preparing themselves on custom-made tracks in order to get familiar with the Indian conditions.

The visitors assigned Maheesh Pithiya as their net bowler, owing to the fact that the young spinner’s bowling action has a strong resemblance to that of India’s star off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, as revealed by Cricket Australia on Friday. They decided to bat against Prithiya in an effort to understand Ashwin’s special carrom ball and off-break deliveries.

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Reacting to the Aussies’ approach, former Indian cricketer Wasim Jaffer took a dig at the visitors and noted on his personal Twitter handle, “First Test is five days away and Ashwin is already inside Australia’s head.”

The major concern for an Australian team touring India has always been the slower pitches in the sub-continent.

These surfaces, which are known to be handy for spinners, turn out to be a boon for crafty bowlers like Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. The last time, when India hosted Australia for a Test series in 2017, the duo posed the biggest threat to the visitors. Axar Patel will only add to the visitor’s woes.

India clinched a 2-1 victory in the series and Jadeja wrapped up as the leading wicket-taker with 25 scalps to his name. The 34-year-old all-rounder also made valuable contributions with the bat, racking up 127 runs.

In the final and deciding game in Dharamshala, he played an exceptional 63-run knock in the first innings along with a four-wicket haul, and later, was named the player of the series. On the other hand, Ashwin completed the series as the second-highest wicket-taker with as many as 21 wickets under his belt.

Both Ashwin and Jadeja have a tremendous record in red-ball cricket against the mighty Aussies. While the veteran spinner has played 18 Tests against them and fetched 89 wickets in total, the iconic all-rounder has a tally of 63 wickets in 12 Tests so far.

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