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 Australian soil, while they have held onto the coveted Border-Gavaskar Trophy since March 2017.
However, the situation is a lot different this time around as the Indian team will enter the Australian shores on the back of a first-ever 0-3 whitewash on home soil.
India lost the Test matches against New Zealand in Bengaluru, Pune and Mumbai. This outcome also marked the end of their remarkable streak of 18 consecutive home Test series victories.
With the Australia tour fast approaching, reports are also claiming that India skipper Rohit Sharma might miss out on the opening Test due to personal reasons. Moreover, it’s still uncertain whether he will join the camp for the second Test in Adelaide.
With the Australia tour fast approaching, former opener Shikhar Dhawan has backed India to make a hat-trick of Test series wins Down Under.
“I believe we have a solid chance to bag a hat-trick of title wins in Australia. We’ve done exceptionally well in the last two series there. I’m sure the team will go to Australia with a positive, winning mindset," Dhawan told TOI.
The southpaw expects senior players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah to play key roles in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Rohit and Kohli have come under severe criticism for their flop show against New Zealand. While Rohit managed to amass only 91 runs in the three-match series at an abysmal average of 15.17, Kohli returned with 93 runs at 15.50.
“Rohit, Virat, and even Bumrah have played extensively in Australia, and they’ll share their experiences with the younger players," he added.
Dhawan also expressed his confidence in the abilities of young guns such as Sarfaraz Khan and Yashasvi Jaiswal.
“This new generation is confident, motivated and eager to perform. They’ve established themselves quickly on the international stage, which is a tremendous advantage for us in Australia. Though pace is always a challenge there, out batters are well-prepared to handle it,” he remarked.
As a result of whitewash at home, Team India have slipped out of the top position in the WTC standings. They now need to defeat Aussies by a margin of 4-0 to qualify for the WTC final on their own.