India’s humiliating 0-3 Test series defeat against New Zealand has cast a shadow over their World Test Championship (WTC) aspirations. To qualify directly for the WTC final at Lord’s in June 2025, India must now win four Tests in Australia.
As India prepares for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, a five-Test series against Australia, former batting legend Sunil Gavaskar and ex-cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar have expressed their views on India’s chances.
Gavaskar believes that India can turn the tables on Australia, as they have done in the past. He highlights the leadership of Rohit Sharma and the match-winning ability of Rishabh Pant. However, he acknowledges that beating Australia 4-0 is a distant dream.
Manjrekar emphasizes the importance of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli performing well in the series. He also points out that India’s bowling, which has been their strength in recent years, will be tested in the absence of Mohammed Shami.
India’s pace attack for the series includes Akash Deep, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Prasidh Krishna, who will support Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj. Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini, and Khaleel Ahmed are in the reserves.
The first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy begins in Perth on November 22. India will need to overcome the challenges of facing a strong Australian team and the absence of Shami to achieve their goal of winning four Tests and qualifying for the WTC final.
