The first Test between Australia and India will begin on November 22 in Perth.
Scott Boland, Australia pacer, has said that the hosts will aim to keep ‘world-class’ India batter KL Rahul under pressure, when the two sides clash in the five-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT 2024) starting from November 22.
While Rahul has had a successful career, his record in Australia has been below par, with an average of 20.77 from five Tests, despite making a memorable century at the SCG in 2015. However, with the chance that Indian skipper Rohit Sharma could miss the first Test in Perth due to personal reasons, Rahul could be in a position to bolster India's batting lineup.
Scott Boland expressed confidence in his team's ability to put early pressure on the Indian batter.
"I was lucky to bowl him in a Test, over in India a couple of years ago, but it'll be nice to play against him in our backyard. He's a world-class player but someone I think we can get on top of pretty early and hopefully stay on top of him for the majority of the summer,” Boland was quoted as saying by India Today.
KL Rahul and reserve wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel have already arrived in Australia to play in the India A series, where they want to become acquainted with the local conditions and gain valuable match practice.
Boland's comments come as Australia's selectors continue to evaluate the roster for the home Test series, where fierce competition among players has left the race for berths wide open. The A-team's four-day match at the MCG, in particular, has served as a testing ground for Australia's rising talent.
Scoot Boland also spoke about India’s recent Test series defeat to New Zealand at home but stated that conditions are totally different in Australia from India.
"There's so much more bounce here, more seam. The way they'll structure their team will be completely different to what you see over in India,” Boland added.
Boland, meanwhile, is ready to play a key supporting role, with the likelihood that he'll step in for one of Australia's frontline bowlers if they're rested.
"The big three getting through the entire home summer last season was an outlier," he noted.
Meanwhile, India has opted to cancel their intra-squad practice game and chose to have match simulations on center wicket at the WACA Stadium in Perth.