After India’s dismal show in the home series against New Zealand, India skipper Rohit Sharma expressed concern over the batters’ lack of form as the national team prepares for the much-anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 against Australia, which is set to commence later this month.
“It’s a cause for concern without a doubt. If the batters are not performing, that is a significant issue. But what’s done is done now. I think as a player, as a captain, and as a team, we all have to look forward and see how we can correct what we didn’t manage to achieve here. There is a good opportunity for us to go and do something special in Australia,” Rohit said regarding the lack of runs from both himself and Kohli, as quoted by the ICC official website.
Following the 3-0 drubbing at the hands of New Zealand, the ‘Men in Blue’ are now in a spot of bother, as they must win at least four matches in Australia to qualify for the one-off Test at Lord’s next year.
The Border-Gavaskar series between India and Australia will commence on November 22, with the first Test taking place in Perth
India were scheduled to play against India A in a three-day practice match ahead of the first Test in Perth on November 22. However, Rohit confirmed that the team has canceled that contest in favour of match simulations against the same side, which will allow their batters to maximize their time at the crease and acclimate to the conditions in Australia.
“Rather than a practice match, we planned a match simulation with India A. I think sometimes when you play a practice match, we’re traveling with a squad of 19 players, and there were only three days allotted to us. I don’t know how much workload we can accomplish in those three days in terms of getting everyone prepared,” the captain said.
“We want to maximize this three-day slot that we have, and I feel this is the best way to do it, where the batters can spend ample time in the middle, and the bowlers can also get their workload in terms of the number of balls bowled. So that was the idea, and we will be training at WACA, which is as close to Optus Stadium as possible, where you have that bounce and carry. Hopefully, we can utilize those three days effectively and maximize our preparation,” the opener added.
The second Test, scheduled for December 6 to 10 at Adelaide Oval, will feature the exciting day-night format under the stadium lights. After that, fans will turn their attention to The Gabba in Brisbane for the third Test, which will be held from December 14 to 18. The customary Boxing Day Test, set for December 26 to 30 at the storied Melbourne Cricket Ground, will bring the series to its penultimate stage. The fifth and final Test will take place at the Sydney Cricket Ground from January 3 to 7, serving as the climax of an exciting contest.
India’s Test squad to face Australia includes: Rohit Sharma (c), Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (wk), Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Washington Sundar.