Nagpur pitch ‘tricked’ us: Handscomb

NAGPUR: Australia batter Peter Handscomb on Thursday admitted that the Nagpur track “tricked” the visiting side as it did a lot less than what it had feared in the opening Test of the four-match series.

Ravindra Jadeja (5/47) and Ravichandran Ashwin (3/42) shared eight wickets between them as Australia was bowled out for 177 in its first innings. Many Australian batters were out playing poor shots. Some of them played for the turn when there was none.

India reached 77 for 1 at stumps on the opening day.

“It definitely wasn’t easy out there. It’s tough because when the pitch is playing tricks that starts to play with your mind a little bit as well,” Handscomb said at the press conference after the opening day’s play.

“The ball that doesn’t do as much you expect to do a little bit more and that’s where you can come undone with the ball that goes straight on, rather than the big turners we saw out there as well.”

Handscomb, who scored 31 in the Australian innings, said the Indian team bowled really well as a unit and didn’t give away easy runs.

“It’s tough out there, Jadeja was obviously bowling very well, not really giving our batsmen a lot to hit and I found him tough to score (against),” the 31-year-old right-handed batter said.

For Handscomb, it was a comeback to the Test team after four years and he said he was feeling nice to play again in the longest format.

“I’ve worked really hard on a lot of things on my game, mentally, tactically and on my technique as well.

“To work that hard and get the rewards to come back in, it’s a really, really nice feeling. I’m just grateful to be out there and give it a crack at time.”