India‘s last task continues World Test Championship (WTC) There will be a bicycle tour Australia for Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT)It is planned to start in November 2024 and finish in January 2025. This five test series will attract the attention of cricket lovers across the globe. India have recently been one of the few teams to challenge Australia on home soil with back-to-back wins in both the 2018-19 and 2020-21 tours. The upcoming series is expected to be an engaging spectacle.
The legacy of Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane
There have been notable contributions in India’s previous tours to Australia Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahanewho played an important role in India’s middle order. Pujara amassed 7,195 runs at an average of 43.60 in 103 Test matches, including 19 centuries and 35 half-centuries, with his highest score being an unbeaten 206. Playing 85 Tests, Rahane scored 5,077 runs at an average of 38. With a top score of 188 including 12 centuries and 26 fifties. Together, they formed a reliable middle-order partnership.
The reduction and selection varies
After India’s historic win at The Gabba in Brisbane in January 2021, both Pujara and Rahane suffered a marked decline in their performances, leading to their exclusion from Test selection for over a year. Against Rahane’s last Test appearance West India In July 2023, Pujara last played against Australia in June 2023 at The Oval. The national selectors have since left them looking for new talent for the team.
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Dinesh Karthik names potential replacement ahead of BGT 2024-25
Speaking on Cricbuzz, Dinesh Karthik, The former Indian wicketkeeper-batsman suggested that Shubman Gill and Sarfaraz Khan Pujara and Rahane could be the ideal candidates to fill the gap. Both the players showed their prowess in the home Test series against England earlier this year and Karthik believed they were strong contenders for BGT in Australia. Karthik acknowledged the challenge of replacing two stalwarts like Pujara and Rahane, but expressed confidence in Gill and Khan’s ability to rise to the occasion.
Karthik remarked, “Shubman Gill and Sarfaraz Khan – both of these strikers were outstanding against England in the last home series. I expect both to be selected for the Australian tour and aim to perform at their best. Whether they can fill the significant shoes of Ajinkya and Pujara remains to be seen, but they have the quality and caliber to succeed,” he said.
India will play host before going to Australia Bangladesh and New Zealand in the two-match and three-match Test series respectively. The series against Bangladesh will begin on September 19 in Chennai.
