New Delhi [India], November 21 : It is said that history often repeats itself. This phrase holds a lot of legitemacy in the world of sports. Cricket is no exception to this, as many a times, fans have lived a particular experience multiple times in their lifetime. Be it the dominant run of Australia in world cricket over different decades or Virat Kohli taking the mantle from the great Sachin Tendulkar to single-handedly win matches for India and carry expectations of billions on his shoulders, the sport is filled up to the brim with examples where the sport has repeated a particular pattern or historic event in a different timeline with different individuals or teams.
As India has come to Australia to chase their fifth-successive Border-Gavaskar Trophy series win and a hat-trick of wins in Australia, fans would be hoping that history indeed repeats itself this time. With team's chances of advancing to their third-successive ICC World Test Championship hanging by a thread, fans have been left praying for a miraculous effort that would ease the pain of a rare setback at home, a whitewash 0-3 loss to New Zealand, the first home Test loss for India after 12 years.
A series defeat could not only send India packing out of WTC title contention, but perhaps bring an early and sad end to team's core of skipper Rohit Sharma, star batter Virat Kohli, veteran all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin, who all have mesmerised the cricket fraternity with their record-breaking feats every year. In case it happens, it would be a deja-vu feeling for fans who saw likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and Gautam Gambhir leave international cricket one by one following 0-4 whitewash loss to Aussies in 2011-12 away from home.
While the pessimist fans left frustrated after a surrender at home await and prepare themselves for the ouster of India's superstars at the end of a star-studded Aussie bowling quartet of skipper Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and spinner Nathan Lyon, there have been a lot of positive fans as well, who are optimistic that not only these veterans fight back to preserve their legacies, but also the youth of Indian cricket will emerge after a standout series Down Under.
For the ones on the positive side of the spectrum, the memories of an inspirational 2020-21 series win, which also included an iconic win at the Gabba, Australia's first loss at the venue in 32 years, are still fresh. India pulled off the series win under toughest of circumstances. After the first Adelaide Test, which saw India surrender by folding to their historically lowest total of 36 runs, Virat left the series due to birth of his first child. Though India bounced back with a memorable win at Melbourne in the second Test, there were injuries devouring India's powerful bowling line-up one by one. By the time fourth Test started, injuries spared no one, be it Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.
At the Gabba during the fourth Test of BGT 2020-21, some of the most fearsome bowlers did not have a ball in their hands. Rather, their body parts were covered with plasters and bandages and they consumed medicines to ease the pain. The team dugout turned into a hospital bench, the stars had to watch a two Test young Siraj take over the pace attack consisting of a debutant T Natrajan, a one-Test-old Navdeep Saini and an inexperienced Shardul Thakur.
India braved all odds in the fourth Test, as all-round show from debutant Washington Sundar and Shardul and top knocks from Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant and Cheteshwar Pujara helped India chase down a total of 328 runs set by Australia to breach the Gabba fortress and walk away with the gold.
On the batting side, while India got two future stars in Shubman and Rishabh, the development of serious bench strength of bowlers was perhaps the most heartening experience. Siraj, who debuted in the series, ended as leading wicket-taker for India with 13 scalps in three games, averaging 29.53 with his best performance being a five-wicket haul in final Test. Shardul and Washington took seven and four wickets in their solitary Test, while left-armer T Natarajan (one match) and Navdeep Saini (two matches), also took three and four wickets after getting handed the Test caps during the series.
This time around, India does have a fully fit Bumrah, who is perhaps living his prime years as a pacer, having earned a 'Player of the Tournament' title in India's T20 World Cup winning campaign. Siraj is making his second tour to Australia after strong overseas outings in England and South Africa as well. Jadeja and Ashwin seem to have their future replacement in Washington, who recently impressed in NZ series.
But behind them is a quartet of talented fast bowlers, a pace bowling all-rounder in Nitish Kumar Reddy that offers batting depth and an additional pace option, uncapped Harshit Rana, two Tests old Prasidh Krishna and Akash Deep, whose all five matches and 10 wickets have come at home.
All of these players have their moments of fame and promise recently. Nitish was crowned the 'Emerging Player' in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, having scored 303 runs in 13 matches with two fifties and taken three wickets for runners-up Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). During the India A-Australia A matches, he displayed his abilities as a talented seamer who can swing the ball well. He managed 71 runs and a wicket in the two-match series.
Harshit had a breakout debut IPL season with champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), taking 19 wickets averaging 20.15 and being the season's fourth-highest wicket-taker. He has also delivered promising performances in domestic cricket, including a fifty and five-wicket haul in Delhi's Ranji Trophy match against Assam in October. With a century to his name in FC cricket, he can be a handy bat too.
Krishna is also keen to overcome the recent lows of his career, which includes injuries and a horrid start to Test career in South Africa last year, taking just two wickets in two games at an average of 65.00. With 10 series in two India A-Australia A matches, which also included spells displaying the breath-taking amount of bounce he got in Aussie conditions, the lanky pacer seems to be on a right track.
Akash Deep also has a chance to convert his promising starts into big five-wicket/ten-wicket hauls in Australia's pace friendly conditions and live up to recent comparisons made to his Bengal teammate and veteran Mohammed Shami.
Among the batters as well, India has Abhimanyu Easwaran, with experience worth 101 first-class games, in which he has made 7,675 runs with 27 centuries. Despite low scores in India A-Australia A series, he would be praying for his chances. Devdutt Padikkal is also having his first Australian trip after a fifty in solitary Test at home and some impressive showings for India A, recently against Australia A away from home.
Young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel, Mumbai's domestic cricket star Sarfaraz Khan also took their first flight to Australia after promising performances at home. Jurel looks favourite after solid fifties against Australia A at Melbourne, while Jaiswal is being hyped as India's next all-format superstar after some impressive performances who could take Aussies by surprise and match fire with fire.
While there is a lot of youth in both departments, the young batters have veterans to watch and learn from. There is a huge chance that a single century from Rohit, Virat, Gill or KL will outshine the juniors, gather more headlines and affect matches more directly. However, the bowling department looks seriously inexperienced, in a almost deja-vu of 2020-21 Gabba Test. As compared to a combined Test experience of 350 among Aussie quartet of Cummins-Starc-Hazlewood-Lyon, all Indian pace options have combined Test experience of 78 matches, with 71 of them played by Bumrah and Siraj. There is a lot of responsibility on the young Indian pacers who would have to roll over their arms for majority of the day under a baking sun.
Would Indian bowling attack overcome inexperience and showcase the heart and determination of the class of 2020-21? Only time will tell.
After the series opener in Perth on November 22, the second Test, featuring the day-night format, will take place under lights at Adelaide Oval from December 6 to 10.
Fans will then turn their attention to The Gabba in Brisbane for the third Test from December 14 to 18. The traditional Boxing Day Test, scheduled from December 26 to 30 at Melbourne's iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground, will mark the series' penultimate stage.
The fifth and final Test will be held at the Sydney Cricket Ground from January 3 to 7, promising an exciting climax to a highly anticipated series.
India's squad for Border-Gavaskar Series: Rohit Sharma (c), Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammad Shami, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Sarfaraz Khan, Virat Kohli, Prasidh Krishna, Rishabh Pant (wk), KL Rahul, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar.
Australia squad for the first Test: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Nathan McSweeney, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc.