When the Border-Gavaskar Trophy was last held in 2021, it was an epic ride. India, without many regular players and a touring squad resembling an injury ward, showed courage, grit, belief to fight against all odds and scripted an unforgettable 2-1 series win.
Such was the excitement about India’s resounding series win in Australia that it was voted as the last Test series ever in an online poll by The International. Cricket Council (ICC). With the Border-Gavaskar Trophy now set to begin on February 9, 2023, the excitement is at its peak among Australia and India fans to win this round, with spots online for the WTC final.
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Australia is the current table topper World Test Championship (WTC) standings, comes into the series after separating West Indies and South Africa at home, making their dream of winning the Test series likely India After 2004, dubbed as their “final frontier”, Brighter.
But it will undoubtedly be a tough challenge for Pat Cummins and Co., as playing a Test series in India is known as “Everest”. Just like Pahari, facing off against an Indian side that powerful and losing at home is almost impossible. conditions (haven’t lost since 2-1 loss to England at home in 2012).
Both Australia and India are building up to the series with preparation camps at Alur, Bengaluru and Nagpur (venues for the first Test from February 9) respectively. Australia are high on confidence after putting in strong performances with bat and ball at home. But excelling in India is a different story altogether.
Their batsmen have been largely unproven in India, barring Steve Smith, who averages 60 in his 12 innings in the country, including three centuries and a half-century. David Warner, despite having toured India twice before, averaged only 24.25, with a highest score of 71. The numbers pale in comparison to Warner’s overall Test average of 46.20 and 58.39 on home soil.
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Usman Khawaja, the recent Shane Warne Test Player of the Year winner at the Australian Cricket Awards, is yet to play a Test in India despite being a member of previous touring parties and his India playing experience comes from a tour with Australia A in 2018. Is. Bangalore and Alur.
The 26-year-old Matt Renshaw played all four matches in the 2017 tour of India, scoring two half-centuries at an average of 29. But since that tour six years ago, he has grown and improved as a batsman. Peter Handscomb is in the touring party after last averaging 28.28 in India in 2017.
Marnus Labuschagne, Travis Head and Alex Carey have not played a Test in India, although Head and Carey were on Australia A’s tour of India in 2018. With the ball, captain Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc (unavailable for the first Test), average above 30 in India and look to repeat the success of the trio of Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie and Michael Kasprowicz in the 2004 series. Will have to be better with the old ball.
With spin, they can rely on Nathan Lyon for long spells and find success on spin-friendly pitches in India. His supporting spinners, Ashton Agar, Mitchell Swepson and the uncapped Todd Murphy are unproven in the sub-continent, although leg-spinner Swepson was used in the tours of Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
India, on the other hand, will feel that playing at home should give them some rest. But they also have their issues. Rishabh Pant, the highest run-scorer with bat and gloves as well as in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2021 win, has been ruled out indefinitely after surviving a horrific car accident in December 2022.
KS Bharath and Ishan Kishan are the wicketkeeping options in his absence. While Bharat has been on the periphery for a long time and is a proven wicket-keeper, Kishan is more in Pant’s mold but hasn’t kept wicket in the latter’s first-class matches.
Also, their top four batsmen have a collective average of only 31.45 from 2020 and with uncertainty over Shreyas Iyer’s availability for the first Test, the pressure on Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli And Cheteshwar Pujara will grow, especially when facing spin. Also, along with Shubman Gill’s recent good form, it makes him an ideal candidate to open the batting instead of KL Rahul.
With Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav and Jaydev Unadkat, India have enough options in the pace department to cover the absence of Jasprit Bumrah. In spin, the return of Ravindra Jadeja is a welcome move, bolstering a department comprising Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav.
The 2023 Border-Gavaskar Trophy has all the ingredients to make for an interesting series between two outstanding teams. But with home conditions and more strength in the bowling department, India can hope to emerge victorious unless Australia springs a surprise out of nowhere.
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)