Adam Gilchrist, one of the all-time greatest keeper-batters in cricket, stated that he is excited to see how India recovers from a 0-3 Test series loss to New Zealand when they play Australia in the forthcoming Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT 2024) series.
The five-Test series between India and Australia will begin on November 22 with the first Test to be played in Perth. India has won both the previous Test series in Australia in 2018-19 and 2020-21.
“It does (have an impact), more for the Indian players and the Indian team internally. They have to be asking themselves pretty hard questions. I'm not expecting them to come out and be easy beats, but I do think on the back of that loss and the fact that it was a clean sweep - I cannot remember when that's happened to them, just losing a series, let alone a clean sweep.
I think that will raise some questions internally and the pressure, the expectation, and the desire from a passionate cricketing nation to see that change around, that'll ride heavily on the shoulders of all those players. There are a few aging players there who may start to even second-guess themselves a little bit. There are some high-class cricketers in that Indian squad. It's going to be fascinating to see how they rebound from that challenge," said Gilchrist to Fox Sports.
Former spinner Kerry O'Keeffe recognized that some of the team's mainstays are nearing the end of their careers, but he feels the visitors still have a lot of players who can lead India to three Test series triumphs in Australia.
"They have trump cards still, India. That's why they're dangerous. (Jasprit) Bumrah and (Rishabh) Pant are absolute trumps. Shubman Gill will develop into an outstanding number three. They have the spin if it turns in (Ravindra) Jadeja and (Ravi) Ashwin.
But their champions are in the twilight and they're coming for one more tilt at us, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. That is the key. They are so good and have been so good, but you don't want to come to Australia in the twilight. It's a tough place," he said.
O'Keeffe finished by noting that Australia would surely put a lot of pressure on Kohli and Rohit, who may be unable to participate in the first Test in Perth, which begins on November 22 due to personal reasons.
"They have the psyche that might turn that around, but Australia will go hard at them. Rohit Sharma may miss one or two Tests, but he is the captain, and Australia always tries to torpedo the visiting captain.
It's been a tactic they've used forever, and I think they'll go very hard at Rohit Sharma. And Kohli, who has worried them over the years, what a stunning player he's been, but in sport, if you sense that the King of the jungle is slightly weaker, you poke a bit of cheek at him.
I'm fascinated to see what Virat Kohli ends up with at the end of the summer. It could be the decisive point in the whole summer. If he has an absolutely blazing series, India could win,” O’Keefe concluded.
(Fox Sports inputs)
