NEW DELHI: India’s 0-3 Test series defeat against New Zealand has not only set the cat amongst the pigeons, but has also sent the World Test Championships permutations haywire.
India now need to win 4 Tests in Australia to directly qualify for the WTC final that is scheduled to be held at Lord’s in June 2025.
As India gear up for the much anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy – a five-Test series for the first time since 1991-92 – the official broadcaster shared a clip of an upcoming show where former batting legend Sunil Gavaskar and former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar talk about India’s chances against Australia.
Is Age Catching Up With Rohit Sharma? | #INDvsNZ 3rd Test
Gavaskar says, “No team, including the champion West Indies of the past has beaten Australia 4-0 to the best of my recollection. They’ve got a very good captain Rohit Sharma who’s always been somebody who’s been able to lift the team up. Rishabh Pant has got the great ability to soak up the pressure. He just wants to go out there and enjoy himself, play to the best of his ability. Forget what happened against New Zealand, they’ve just got to believe that they can turn the tables on Australia like they’ve done on the last couple of tours to Australia.”
Kohli has averaged merely 22.72 in six matches in 2024, the lowest in his career.
The 36-year-old has scored just one fifty this year – 70 against New Zealand in the second innings of the first Test at Bengaluru, while his last Test century came in July 2023 against the West Indies.
Kohli scored 93, and Rohit 91 runs in the India’s humiliating 0-3 Test series loss to New Zealand at home.
Manjrekar adds, “4-0, a distant dream, just take one step at a time and the first couple of steps, which is Perth and the next one in Adelaide are going to be India’s toughest tests. We need Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, one of them, to have a great series. Problem for India is that the bowling which has been their great strength in the last couple of years, Shami missing.”
In Mohammed Shami’s absence, India picked a largely inexperienced pace attack – including Akash Deep, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Prasidh Krishna – to back up Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj.
Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini, and Khaleel Ahmed are in the reserves.
The first Test begins in Perth from November 22.
