New Zealand’s stunning 3-0 series sweep over India at home has sent shockwaves through the cricketing world, leaving Australia wary ahead of the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy Down Under.
Australia’s pace spearhead Josh Hazlewood believes the embarrassing loss could serve as a wake-up call for India, who are now facing a confidence crisis. “It might awaken a sleeping giant, so to speak,” Hazlewood told Sydney Morning Herald. “We will see that when they come out.”
The Kiwis’ triumph marks India’s first-ever 3-0 whitewash at home, exposing glaring weaknesses in their batting lineup. In the Bengaluru Test, India collapsed to a dismal 46 runs in the first innings, followed by another batting failure in the second innings.
The second Test saw a similar pattern, with India’s batsmen failing to capitalize on a strong bowling performance. Chasing 359 runs for victory, they were dismissed for 245 runs.
The final Test in Mumbai was another low-scoring affair, with India set a target of 147 runs. Despite a fighting half-century from Rishabh Pant, the batting lineup crumbled once again, bowled out for 121 runs.
Hazlewood acknowledged the Kiwis’ exceptional performance, stating, “Credit to the Kiwi boys. They played outstanding cricket. To win 3-0 in India is unbelievable.”
The India vs Australia series commences on November 22 with the first Test taking place in Perth. Adelaide Oval will host the second Test from December 6th to 10th, featuring the captivating day-night format under lights. Brisbane’s Gabba will be the venue for the third Test, scheduled from December 14th to 18th. The traditional Boxing Day Test, slated for December 26th to 30th at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground, will mark the penultimate stage of the series. The series will culminate with the fifth and final Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground from January 3rd to 7th.
India’s squad for the Border-Gavaskar Series includes Rohit Sharma (c), Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammad Shami, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Sarfaraz Khan, Virat Kohli, Prasidh Krishna, Rishabh Pant (wk), KL Rahul, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mohammed Siraj, and Washington Sundar.
