India will travel Down Under for five Test matches, starting November 22 in Perth.
There is a lot of excitement around India’s upcoming Test tour of Australia. The Rohit Sharma-led side will travel Down Under for five Test matches, starting November 22 in Perth.
India have won the last two Test series on Australia soil, while they have held onto the coveted Border-Gavaskar Trophy since March 2017.
With nearly a month remaining for the marquee clash, former cricketer-turned-commentator Sanjay Manjrekar opined that it might be tough for India to complete a hat-trick of series victories in Australia as batting stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have past their prime in Test cricket.
Manjrekar sees Rishabh Pant as a ‘very important player’ and also mentioned that youngsters like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill will have to take up the responsibility.
"It might be a tough one. Virat and Rohit, both are not in their prime, they are not at the peak of their powers to be fair and others like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubhman Gill have to rise to the occasion. Rishabh Pant is the only one that I feel is in his prime and a very important player," Manjrekar said while speaking on SportifyWithPRG.
During the recently held two-match Test series against Bangladesh, Kohli managed to score only 99 runs at an average of 24.75 in four innings, while Rohit amassed just 42 runs at an average of 10.05.
Manjrekar also shared his two cents on India's bowling, saying, "India is sorted ... As for the Australians, the aura and ability they had in the past, where every game they played, they were like champions, is not there anymore."
The team that wins the forthcoming series could be well poised to earn a place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final at Lord’s next year. India are currently heading the points table, followed by the defending champions Australia.
After the first Test in Perth, the action will shift to Adelaide (December 6-10), where both teams will face each other in a Day-Night Test. The last three Tests are set to take place in Brisbane (December 14-18), Melbourne (December 26-30), and Sydney (January 3-7).