As India looks ahead for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024, the former Australian skipper, Steve Waugh has his say on who would play a key role for the visitors who will be aiming to keep the title away from the Aussies.
Speaking in an interaction with IANS, Waugh believes that the two sides would be equally matched despite Australia having the home advantage. He praised the all-star bowling attack of the Indian side of which Jasprit Bumrah could play a deciding role in the tightly-fought contest. With the bat, it will be Virat Kohli once again who would be the key man for the Indian batting unit.
“It’ll be a good series with two very good teams, equally matched. India has a good chance to win in Australia because they have a very strong bowling attack. With Bumrah, Siraj, and Shami, they have an excellent pace attack, and they also have many good spinners, such as Jadeja, Ashwin, and Kuldeep but the key will be Jasprit Bumrah’s performance with the ball and Virat Kohli’s performance with the bat. Bumrah is an excellent bowler, the more he takes wickets, the higher the chances of India winning the series gets high,” Waugh told IANS.
Reflecting on Kohli’s performances on conditions away from home, it comes as no surprise that Team India has come to depend on the batting ace to help them get their wins. Kohli in Australian conditions has amassed 1352 runs in the 13 games he played Down Under at an average of 54.08. He is also India’s second-highest run-scorer in Tests that India has played in Australia as well behind the great Sachin Tendulkar.
But Waugh also warned that the Aussies have a pretty fine bowling attack of their own. The likes of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood along with Nathan Lyon have proven to be a dicey quartet for most visiting sides and could be a massive Test for Team India.
“We have seen Virat’s performance in away conditions. The Indian batting depends on him, so he will be at the helm. However, Australia has a very good team as well, with a strong bowling attack. So, with two high-quality teams, I expect it to be an excellent series,” he added.
Nonetheless, one thing is for certain, both India and Australia are among the two best sides across all formats and the contest between the two rival nations will prove to be a tightly fought affair with either side well within contention of taking home the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
(with IANS Inputs)
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