Former coach Ravi Shastri has predicted that young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and fast star Jasprit Bumrah will be India’s key players in the Border Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. The buzz around BGT was simply surreal. The reduction in the number of heavyweights in the test added to the intensity of the rivalry. With the Perth turf expected to stay true to its nature of offering bounce and speed, batters will have to up their ante to get hits on the board.
In such grueling conditions, Shastri advocated for Jaiswal to shine against Australia’s brutal bowling line-up. For Shastri, the left-hander’s back-to-back double hundreds of 209 and 214* against England in Vizag and Rajkot reflect his hunger to score.
“Jaiswal is on top because if he hits the target, he can be devastating. You know he plays very well, he plays at his own pace, he has every shot in the book,” Shastri told the ICC Review.
“He’s an artist, so if he makes the team like we’ve seen in his career, you know he has the ability to get big results. You don’t score two double hundreds in a row, you know, just like that, you You have to have the hunger, you have to have the qualities and the ability,” Shastri noted.
The second Indian that Shastri has helped raise the bar is Jasprit Bumrah. With Australia’s unique lightning strike, Bumrah will lead India in the absence of designated captain Rohit Sharma.
With bowling coach Morne Morkel calling the opener a “natural leader”, Shastri expects the “best fast bowler in the world” to make the ball do the talking while taking on Australia’s best.
“I think Jaspreet, no question. Because he is the best fast bowler in the world. There is no doubt about it. These are the two best bowlers on either side. at times he makes the ball talk to be the best wicket taker,” he said.
Bumrah emerged as India’s standout performer in 2024 thanks to his sensational blitz. Apart from extending his prowess across all formats, Bumrah’s numbers in Australia give the Indian camp confidence in what kind of consequences he may face in Australia.
Before taking to the Optus Stadium on Friday, Bumrah had sent Australia into shock by taking 32 Test wickets in seven matches at an average of just 21.25 on their pitch.
The first Test between India and Australia begins on Friday at the Optus Stadium in Perth. Both teams, finishing in the top two spots in the ICC World Test Championship scoring, will be looking to improve their chances of reaching the final. As India try to bounce back from a rare but humiliating home defeat to New Zealand, Australia will be looking to avoid a hat-trick of series defeat to India at home.
Following the series opener in Perth on November 22, the second day-night Test will take place under floodlights at the Adelaide Oval from December 6 to 10. Fans will then turn their attention to The Gabba in Brisbane for the third Test. from December 14 to 18.
The traditional Boxing Day Test, scheduled from December 26 to 30 at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, will be the penultimate edition of the series. The fifth and final Test will take place at the Sydney Cricket Ground from January 3 to 7, promising an exciting climax to the highly anticipated series.
India squad for Border-Gavaskar Series: Rohit Sharma (c), Jasprit Bumrah (c), Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammad Shami, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel (w), Sarfaraz Khan, Virat Kohli , Prasidh Krishna, Rishabh Pant (week), K.L. Rahul, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar.
Australia squad for the first Test: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Nathan McSweeney, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc.
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