The Indian cricket team is currently gearing up for the much-awaited Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 in Australia. India are currently without their regular captain Rohit Sharma, who will join the squad ahead of the second Test against Australia in Adelaide.
As Perth’s Optus Stadium prepares to host the much-anticipated five-match Test series opener from November 22, former England captain Michael Vaughan has expressed doubts over Rohit Sharma’s captaincy and coaching style that could determine Gautam Gambhir’s chances of scoring a historic hat-trick. -The trick to winning a Test series in Australia.
Michael Vaughan questions Rohit Sharma’s leadership and Gautam Gambhir’s coaching ahead of Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.
Vaughan pointed out that the Indian cricket team under the dominant captaincy of Virat Kohli and charismatic coach Ravi Shastri has been successful in the last two Test series Down Under. However, the former England captain believes that repeating the feat in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 will not be a walk in the park.
Also Read: Hailing former RCB star Rohit Sharma as a top prospect, Virat Kohli is sidelined
Well, India have dominated Australia in their last two tours, but Michael Vaughan is not convinced that current captain Rohit Sharma can emulate the leadership qualities that Kohli brings to the table Down Under. Notably, Kohli and Shastri joined hands to push an aggressive and front-foot approach, which rocked the Australian cricket team at home.
But with Ravi Shastri no longer at the helm and Rohit’s captaincy in focus, Vaughan believes the Indian cricket team can continue their dominance in Australia. The English footballer also stressed the importance of playing with a bold and aggressive mindset against Australia.
Who will be Virat Kohli?
While Kohli has been instrumental in leading India with aggression and confidence, Vaughan has questioned whether Rohit can bring the same intensity to the team. With the fiery, no-holds-barred approach that has become India’s trademark in Australia, Vaughan pointed out that there is a void after Shastri’s absence and it will be a big challenge for them this time around.
The Indian Express quoted Michael Vaughan as saying: “They’ve come here the last two times, they’ve won and they’ve got a charismatic coach (in Ravi’s language). They have their captain in Virat Kohli. I’m a big believer (that) when you play Australia, there’s only one way to play them (and) that’s to be on the front foot, be aggressive and try to ruffle a few feathers. Ravi made it. Virat could do it.
I want to know who is Ravi Shastri in this Indian camp? I don’t think it can be anyone else, but who will be Virat Kohli? Can Rohit be a captain in the same sense? I think this is going to be a big challenge for India in the next few weeks.”
Michael Vaughan backs Virat Kohli to shine in Australia
Vaughan claimed that Virat Kohli’s form will be crucial in India’s chances of defending the trophy in Australia. He also noted that Kohli has been a huge success on Australian soil, so his form could be a deciding factor in the five-match Test series.
He said, “I think when Virat Kohli comes here, when he comes down to Australia, he comes down and knows that this is a place where he has had great success. You could argue that which of the four numbers has the greatest streak could be the deciding factor of the entire streak.”
