Ravi Shastri, coach of the Indian team
India are capable of achieving three Test series wins in Australia given the quality of their bowlers and strong batting line-up that includes the likes of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, feels former head coach Ravi Shastri.
India have won the last two Test series in Australia and have retained the prestigious Border-Gavaskar Trophy since the Kangaroos claimed a 2-0 series win on home soil in early 2015.
“With (Jasprit) Bumrah in form, (Mohammed) Shami in form, you have Mohammed Siraj there. You have (Ravinchandran) Ashwin and (Ravindra) Jadeja and also some very good players on the bench… You can’t wait for that series to start and (I think) India can do the hat-trick (of series wins in Australia),” Shastri told ICC.
Australian legend Ricky Ponting had recently predicted a 3-1 series win for his country but Shastri said Indian players can get the job done as long as their batsmen are up to the challenge.
“It will be a very interesting series and India has every chance of securing a treble because they have their bowlers in form and if they can bat well, they can beat Australia once again,” Shastri said.
India will play a five-match series Down Under, starting with the Test in Perth in November this year.
The Pat Cummins-led Australian side are feeling upbeat after gaining sweet revenge against Rohit Sharma’s side during the World Test Championship final at The Oval last year, and Shastri feels a hurting home side would be more than eager to regain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
“The Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, which consists of five Test matches, is going to be a real treat.
“Remember, India has beaten Australia twice in the last two tours and Australia has not had a hand in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in almost a decade and that is the reason everyone will be waiting for these two heavyweights of Test cricket in the last five to eight years to lock horns,” Shastri added.
With Australia also boasting a strong bowling line-up, Shastri feels revenge will be on the home side’s mind given the successive series defeats they have suffered in the last two editions.
“We know what Australia will want (for revenge). They will be thirsty, they will want to attack the Indians because they have been defeated there (in Australia) twice.
“The attack is pretty much the same. One of the best fast bowling attacks – one of the best all-round attacks when you add Nathan Lyon – in a long, long time. And one of the best in the history of the game. They will be looking for those 20 wickets, match after match, to help Australia win the series.”
“India will be batting against the Australian fast bowlers. And of course, the Indian bowling attack will be something everyone will be looking forward to seeing,” he added.
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First published: August 14, 2024 | 20:26 IS
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