Questions Loom Before The Border-Gavaskar Trophy
With the flame already ignited for one of the most famous rivalries in the history of cricket, the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024 is going to be nothing short of action and intense drama. Though a couple of months are still left, many questions are yet to be answered as the series gets anticipated. If Not RO-KO Then Who? Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have been India’s batting mainstays for more than a decade now. The Virat-Rohit duo has piled up 2629 runs for India while playing against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Although Rohit Sharma cemented his place in the Indian red ball side in 2018, he has been a major contributor when it comes to scoring runs. However, considering the age in the legs of both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma it is important for someone else from the batting order to step up and deliver it for the Indian Cricket Team. While the hopes rest on Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill, it would be interesting to see if they can meet the expectations by facing the challenge down under. Who Will Join Jasprit Bumrah? Australia is known for producing fast and bouncy decks unlike India where the pitches are more spin dominant. To give Australia a tough fight, India need more resources in their fast bowling cartel to join Jasprit Bumrah and deliver. Fast bowlers, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammad Siraj and Shardul Thakur have a taste of wickets from down under. A couple of these guys alongside Bumrah might make a quality seam bowling attack. Steve Smith The Opener Or Steve Smith The Middle Order Batter? Any cricket fan who follows the Border-Gavaskar Trophy might be aware of how much Steve Smith is in love with scoring runs against India. Smith, till the end of last year used to bat in between number 3 to number 5 in test match cricket. However, including Cameron Green and the empty opening spot at the top post David Warner’s retirement made him think of pushing himself up the batting order. However, Smith opening the innings in test match cricket didn’t come off as a great decision. Smith hasn’t played in the whites and the famous Baggy Green since late January 2024 with Australia having no test matches scheduled in their calendar. However while playing against India, it would be interesting to see if Smith opens the batting or shifts back to any of numbers 3, 4 or 5 in the middle order. FYI – In the 18 test matches Steve Smith has played in the Border-Gavaskar series so far, Steve Smith has successfully piled 1887 runs at an ultra impressive average of 65.06. What’s Bigger – Border-Gavaskar Trophy or The Ashes? The intensity of the India-Australia rivalry has arguably reached the same level to that of the intensity of the England-Australia rivalry. While many believe that The Ashes being the oldest rivalry is cricket’s greatest showdown, some say that the Border-Gavaskar rivalry is the most fierce one due to the intense battles between the two cricketing powerhouses. Well, therefore we leave the answer to this question up to you. The Sportz Planet Desk,Atharva Shetye
