The 62-year-old named two cricketers from each side.
The highly-anticipated Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) is just a day away and ahead of the series opener in Perth on November 22, former India cricketer and coach Ravi Shastri has given his verdict on which players can be the key performers in the marquee series.
The 62-year-old named two cricketers from each side while speaking to the ICC review. Interestingly, while naming the Indian players, Shastri chose to ignore the two big batting superstars in the visiting side – Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
Ravi Shastri eventually named Yashasvi Jaiswal and Jasprit Bumrah as the two Indian stars while highlighting Aussie skipper Pat Cummins and dynamic batter Steve Smith from the host team.
Keeping in mind Shastri’s predictions, let’s evaluate how the four stars look coming into the BGT.
Much like Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli before him, Yashasvi Jaiswal heads to Australia with the weight of the nation’s expectations on his shoulders, hailed as the “next big thing” of Indian cricket. Since he made his Test debut with a century in July of the previous year, the 22-year-old has scored two more tons, both of which were double centuries against England earlier this year.
Echoing on the same lines, Shastri even went on to label Jaiswal as the X-factor in the Indian team.
Shastri said, “Jaiswal at the top because if he gets in, he can be devastating. You know he plays spin very well, he plays at his own tempo, he’s got all the shots in the book.”
Bumrah, who will be taking over the captaincy reins in the series opener in Rohit Sharma’s absence, has claimed 32 Test wickets against Australia, maintaining an impressive average of 21.25 and Shastri believes the talismanic pacer will continue to excel in Australian conditions.
Bumrah has enjoyed a remarkable year, including his match-winning performance in the T20 World Cup 2024 Final against South Africa. The former India coach is confident that with Bumrah at the helm of his abilities, he will be a key player for India as the series progresses.
Shastri also had little hesitation in naming Bumrah over the other Indian stars as the man who will lead the charge.
“I think Jasprit, no question. Because he’s the best fast bowler in the world. There’s no question about that.” Shastri added.
Dynamic right-hander Steve Smith, who maintained an impressive Test cricket average of over 60 for several years, has faced a challenging period in the past year. Since scoring a century against England at Lord’s in July 2023, Smith has averaged 33.64 with the bat over the course of 10 matches.
Despite this dip in form, Ravi Shastri remained confident of the Aussie’s abilities. He continued to praise Smith’s exceptional prowess, highlighting the Australian batter as the one India should be most cautious of.
“Steve Smith because of his experience, because of his past record and he’s at that stage of his career where he needs a challenge,” Shastri warned.
Australian captain Pat Cummins was named Player of the Series during India’s last tour to Australia in the 2020-21 season.
Having played in all eight Tests of the last two BGT series in Australia, Cummins boasts an impressive average of 23.14, with 35 wickets against India on home soil.
As the Australians look to reclaim the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after nearly a decade, Cummins will be a crucial figure in their efforts and will need to do an encore of his past heroics.
Shastri also acknowledged, “Pat Cummins will be at you. He’s relentless.”
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