Batting legend Sunil Gavaskar on Wednesday (December 18) stated that KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja performing well in the Gabba Test augurs well for India for the remainder of the five-Test series against Australia.

Playing the role of an opener, Rahul is India’s leading run-scorer in the ongoing BGT so far, with knocks of 26, 77, 37, 7 and 84 and 4* to his name.

On the other hand, Jadeja featured in his first match of the tour at Gabba. While the spin all-rounder failed to claim a wicket in the rain-marred game, he played a significant knock of 77.

On Day 5 of the Gabba Test, India were asked to chase down 275, after which the match ended in a draw with the visitors at 8/0.

Speaking to India Today, Gavaskar said India would not have lost all 10 wickets had they attempted to go after the target. However, he admitted that Australia had the better of India in Brisbane after their dominance in the first innings.

“No, no, I don’t think India could have been bowled out for the second time in the Test match. Our batting isn’t that pretty, not everybody has been at their best, but we would not have been bowled out in 50 overs. But you have to concede that with 445 runs on the board, Australia had the better of the Test match,” Gavaskar stated.

“What I really loved was the resolve shown by your 10th wicket; Jasprit Bumrah is one cricketer that every captain would want in their team, as a bowler, batter, thinker and a complete team man. And he was the one who was guiding Akash Deep as well. The resolve shown by KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja will augur well for the remaining two Tests. Remember, India lost in Adelaide in two and a half days. Had they not done well here, the next Tests would also have been gone,” he added.

The Border-Gavaskar Trophy stands level at 1-1 after the first three Tests. The penultimate Test of the series is scheduled to be played at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground from December 26.