The Indian cricket team will aim for glory in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. India and Australia are two of the greatest cricketing nations, and India’s recent whitewash against a 3-game Test series against New Zealand adds a lot more anticipation for the 5-match Test series, which will start on November 22, 2024, in Perth.

Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne intends to pull Cheteshwar Pujara against India in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 

Australian batter Marnus Labuschagne wants to play the “long game” to wear down India’s pace attack, similar to how veteran Cheteshwar Pujara did in the past two Border-Gavaskar Trophy series. In the 2018-19 series, Pujara faced 1,258 balls across seven innings, scoring three centuries as he wore down an unchanged Australian bowling attack throughout the four-Test series, helping India secure a famous victory Down Under.

The Indian batter, known for his solid defence, used a similar approach in the 2020-21 series, facing 928 balls — the most by any batter in the series — as he once again contributed to another memorable win for the tourists.

Labuschagne plans to use a similar strategy. The right-hander feels that keeping India’s relatively inexperienced pace attack, aside from Jasprit Bumrah, on the field for as long as possible could be the key for the hosts in the five-Test series beginning here on Friday.

Bumrah will be supported by the likes of Mohammed Siraj and the trio of Harshit Rana, Prasidh Krishna and Nitish Kumar Reddy, all playing their debut series in Australia.

Labuschagne, who bowls medium pace as well as legspin, bowled a barrage of bouncers to skipper Pat Cummins and pacer Mitchell Starc at the nets on Monday.

Labuschagne said during the build-up to Friday’s series opener in Perth when asked if he was primed to fill pace all-rounder Caemron Green’s bowling boots.

 

(PTI)