Hyderabad: The highly anticipated Border Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 will start in a few days and the fans will witness a fierce India-Australia rivalry in the series. When the Indian team last toured Australia in 2022-23, they won the series by 2-1 and will be aiming to replace the performance this time around as well. Back then. Cheteshwar Pujara played a key role in the triumph but the Indian team will miss his rock-solid defence this time around. The right-handed batter is set to return to the tournament in a brand new role as a commentator for Star Sports Hindi according to some media reports.
Pujara was a vital cog in the Indian batting unit as he anchored the innings and also tired out Australian bowlers by showing an impeccable defence.
Pujara’s standout performance came in the 2018-19 series in Australia, where he accumulated 521 runs across seven innings with an average of 74.42. His exploits in the series included three centuries and a half-century which helped him become the Player of the Series award. His performance helped India secure their maiden series win on Australian soil. Overall, the 36-year-old has amassed 993 runs in 11 matches with an impressive average of 47.28 including three centuries and five fifties.
India and Australia will be contesting in a five-match Test series for the first time since 1991-92. After the series opener in Perth, the second fixture will be played in Adelaide Oval for a pink ball Test. The third and fourth Tests will be held in Brisbane and Melbourne. The final red-ball game of the series will be played from January 3 to 7.
