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NEW DELHI: Former Australia skipper Ian Chappell cautions that Indian batsmen could face difficulties if they attempt overly aggressive shots during the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy, as the Aussie conditions offer additional bounce that could expose their batting vulnerabilities.
Following a comprehensive 3-0 series loss to New Zealand on home turf, India heads to Australia with significant concerns, particularly regarding the batting performances of their skipper Rohit Sharma and star player Virat Kohli, who have both been struggling for form.
“India have got some batting problems. I think Jaiswal is a very good-looking young player, a left-hand opener, I think Gill can really play. But then you’ve got Kohli and Rohit Sharma, who are both ageing, and you get to that point where people start talking about it and maybe it starts to creep into your head a little bit (where you think), ‘Am I getting to that age where it starts to go downhill?’, and they’re both at that age.”
“The only thing I’d say against that is they’re coming to Australia where the pitches are pretty good, but there’ll be the extra bounce and if they have gone over the top then the extra bounce will find them out,” said Chappell on Wide World of Sports’ Outside the Rope show.
With India’s consecutive Test series victories in Australia, both ending in 2-1 scorelines during 2018-19 and 2020-21, Mark Taylor, who previously led Australia, believes the responsibility for substantial scoring now falls heavily on the emerging batsmen. This assessment comes in light of the current batting form of senior players Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli being below their usual standards.
“They (India) have moved on Pujara and they’ve moved on Rahane, and they’ve left Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, their best two players, but all of a sudden they’ve had a bit of a rocky period… and that has put pressure now on the younger guys and also their lower-order. You still need to make the bulk of your runs from your best players, and over the last probably 12 or 18 months that hasn’t been the case for India.”
The series will feature a comprehensive five-Test series between India and Australia. The matches are scheduled across five Australian venues from November 22 to January 7, 2025, including a day-night encounter in Adelaide.
The series will visit Perth, Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney, marking the first instance of a five-match Test contest between these cricket powerhouses since the 1991-92 season.
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