New Delhi: India is set to take on Australia in the upcoming four-match test series in Border Gavaskar Trophy with the first test to begin at Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur on Thursday. Three more test matches will subsequently follow in Delhi, Dharamsala, and Ahmedabad. The visitors last played in the VCA Stadium back in 2008-09, and incidentally, won their last test series in India back in 2004, defeating India 2-1.
The Kangaroos scored their last victory in India in 2014-15, during a bilateral series, and are expected a comeback. Known for having spinning tracks, however, the Nagpur task might prove to be a daunting one for the Aussies, who have been thrashed twice in recent years (2018-2019, 2020-2021) by the Men in Blues in their own backyard.
Now, as another tough match-up beckons the two sides, ETV Bharat caught up with former team India wicketkeeper and ex-chief selector Kiran More, who said he believed the upcoming series will be a keenly contested one. "Australia is one of the toughest teams in the world cricket and they come hard at you always. What India needs to do is to put pressure on them. The advantage is that we are playing at home", More said, noting however that visitors would be in high spirits after defeating a fellow sub-continent side in Pakistan.
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"Australia has recently played against Pakistan on slow tracks and so they will be better prepared to take on India in the subcontinent," he noted, adding the home team, in order to secure victory, would need a fitting replacement for Rishabh Pant at number six.
"Rishabh has superb stats and we will miss him at No. 6," he said. Asked who would he pick between KS Bharat and Ishan Kishan as a replacement for Pant, More refused to take a clear call, observing the decision was ultimately up to the team management. "I don't want to go into a debate about who among Ishan Kishan and Bharat should replace Rishabh ... Both are good and upcoming keepers and that's why they are in the Indian team. It is totally the team management's call to pick one. But surely it will be a tough call for both the coach and the skipper," he noted.
Interestingly, More, who is known for having the youngsters' back, is pinning hopes on Shubhman Gill, who, he says, is a sure-shot top prospect. Gill recently completed a rare feat, scoring centuries in all three formats of the game, as well as scoring India's fifth double ton in the ODI format.
"I have been watching Shubman since he was 16 in domestic cricket. He was always a future star for me. He has both technique and talent. With more maturity, Gill will be the future star for India," the 60-year-old former India vice-captain said. On Kohli, the pundit stated that the ace batter's form would be "significant in deciding the outcomes of such big events".
