The first Test between India and Australia will be played in Perth from November 22 onwards.
Sourav Ganguly, former India captain, touched on various subjects regarding the Indian team’s upcoming five-match series against Australia in the BGT 2024 (Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024–25). The first Test will be played in Perth from November 22nd onwards.
India is coming off a 0-3 Test series whitewash at home at the hands of New Zealand. They are also concerned with the form of their batters especially the seniors like Virat Kohli, who made only 93 runs including a knock of 70 in six innings against New Zealand.
Meanwhile, Ganguly backed Virat Kohli to come good with the bat in the five-Test series and called him a champion batter.
“Absolutely, he is a champion batter. He has had success in Australia in the past. He scored four hundreds in 2014 and a hundred in 2018. He will want to make this series count, and he will also know this could be the last time he is touring Australia to play Test cricket. So, in every sense, this is a massive series for Kohli. I don’t want to read too much into the New Zealand series. The pitches did not allow good batting. In Australia, he will enjoy the conditions. There will be good pitches. I am backing Virat to deliver in Australia in this series,” Ganguly told RevSportz.
Given that India will play the first Test in Perth on a pacy and bouncy surface, there is a debate as to which spinner India will play. India has options of three spin all-rounders in Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, and Washington Sundar to choose from.
However, Ganguly backed Ashwin to play in Perth, saying that he would be effective against the Australian left-handed batters on a pitch that would give him some bounce as well.
“There is no debate. Ashwin must play. Your best spinner must play. In Test cricket, play specialists. Also, against the number of left-handers in the Australian line-up, Ashwin is certain to have an impact. Yes, there is [Ravindra] Jadeja and Washington [Sundar], and both bat well, but you must go in with your best spinner in the first Test. Play with specialist batsmen and bowlers, and that’s where Ashwin is my choice,” Ganguly added.
Captain Rohit Sharma will reportedly miss the first Test in Perth after he and his wife Ritika welcomed their second child. In his absence, Jasprit Bumrah is set to captain the Indian team in the Perth Test.
“I think he will be a good leader. From what I have seen of him, he looks involved, reads the game well, and bowls in the right areas under pressure in white-ball cricket, which tells you he is thinking the right things. So Bumrah should be a good leader for sure. Needless to say, he is a very important player for India. He will be the leader of that attack, and in good bowling conditions, he can have a defining impact on the series,” Ganguly opined.
He also spoke about his prediction of Rishabh Pant becoming India’s go-to batter in red-ball cricket and stated that the keeper-batter has a special ability.m
Ganguly stated: “His special ability. He still needs to evolve and figure out his game in white-ball cricket. But in red ball, he is just fantastic. Look at the innings he has played in England, Australia, and South Africa, and you will know he is a generational talent in red-ball cricket. He is India’s next-best red-ball batter after Kohli, and could have a huge impact in the series.”
(RevSportz inputs)