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India‘s final assignment in the ongoing World Test Championship (WTC) cycle will be a tour to Australia for the Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT), scheduled to commence in November 2024 and conclude in January 2025. This five-Test series is set to capture significant attention from cricket enthusiasts worldwide. India have recently been one of the few teams to challenge Australia on their home turf, having clinched series victories in both the 2018-19 and 2020-21 tours with a 2-1 margin. The upcoming series is expected to be a gripping spectacle.
The legacy of Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane
India’s previous tours to Australia featured notable contributions from Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane, who were instrumental in India’s middle order. Pujara, with 103 Test matches, accumulated 7,195 runs at an average of 43.60, including 19 centuries and 35 half-centuries, with his highest score being an unbeaten 206. Rahane, who played 85 Tests, scored 5,077 runs at an average of 38.46, including 12 centuries and 26 fifties, with a top score of 188. Together, they formed a dependable middle-order partnership.
The decline and selection changes
Following India’s historic win at The Gabba in Brisbane in January 2021, both Pujara and Rahane experienced a noticeable decline in performance, leading to their exclusion from Test selection for over a year. Rahane’s last Test appearance was against the West Indies in July 2023, while Pujara last played against Australia in June 2023 at The Oval. The national selectors have since moved on from them, seeking fresh talent for the team.
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Dinesh Karthik names potential replacement ahead of BGT 2024-25
Speaking on Cricbuzz, Dinesh Karthik, the former Indian wicketkeeper-batter, has suggested that Shubman Gill and Sarfaraz Khan could be ideal candidates to fill the void left by Pujara and Rahane. Both players demonstrated their prowess in the home Test series against England earlier this year, and Karthik believed they are strong contenders for the upcoming BGT in Australia. Karthik acknowledged the challenge of replacing two stalwarts like Pujara and Rahane but expressed confidence in Gill and Khan’s ability to rise to the occasion.
Karthik remarked, “Shubman Gill and Sarfaraz Khan—both of these batters have excelled against England in the recent home series. I anticipate both will be selected for the Australia tour and will aim to perform at their best. It remains to be seen if they can fill the significant shoes of Ajinkya and Pujara, but they possess the quality and caliber to succeed,”
Before heading to Australia, India will host Bangladesh and New Zealand in a two-match and three-match Test series, respectively. The series against Bangladesh is set to begin on September 19 in Chennai.
