India vs Australia Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024: India’s Virat Kohli at the Wankhede Stadium during the series against New Zealand. (Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty)
Players To Watch Out in India Team, BGT 2024/25: There are expected to be a few surprises in the Indian team for the first Border Gavaskar Trophy Test against Australia at Perth’s Optus Stadium.
The Indian Express reported that Nitish Reddy and Harshit Rana are likely to be handed debuts in the first Test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy. Meanwhile, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja are likely to find themselves out of the Playing XI in favour of fellow off-spinner Washington Sundar.
Here’s a look at five Team India players to watch out for in the Border Gavaskar Trophy:
Nitish Kumar Reddy
As an all-rounder, Nitish Kumar Reddy will add to India’s pace bowling department against Australia. Nitish, who hails from Vizag, had his breakout year in 2017-18, where he rewrote record books in the Vijay Merchant Trophy with 1,237 runs at an astounding average of 176.41. In last IPL, he scored 303 in 11 innings for Sunrisers Hyderabad. He has played 21 first-class games and has hit one century, two fifties and taken 56 wickets. The 21-year-old is the youngest member of the Indian squad in Australia.
He made his T20I debut for India just this October. In his second game for the Men in Blue, Nitish Kumar Reddy blasted 74 off 34 balls. And then, for good measure he also claimed 2 for 23 with the ball.
Harshit Rana
Harshit Rana, who will turn 23 next month, boasts of a fiery pace and is an understandable pick for the spicy Perth track. With veteran workhorse Mohammed Shami not yet 100 per cent fit, the young Rana could help the Indian team make early inroads into the Australian team. Harshit Rana helped Kolkata Knight Riders claim the IPL 2024 title as the joint-fourth-highest wicket-taker. In ten first-class games on the domestic circuit, Harshit Rana has 43 wickets at 24.00 and 469 runs at 42.63.
Australia vs India: All-rounder Nitish Reddy and pacer Harshit Rana. (File images)
Washington Sundar
The Perth track is synonymous with speed. Which is probably why the team has opted to pick off-spinner Washington Sundar. He’s coming to Australia with 16 wickets at 14.12 against New Zealand at home.
Australian media and former cricketers have singled out Virat Kohli as the man to mark. Plenty has been spoken about his lean form coming into the Border Gavaskar Trophy series. The most damning stat is that Virat Kohli’s Test average in 2024 of 22.72 is his lowest across all calendar years where he has featured in at least 10 innings. But that just means, he will be hungry for more.
Jasprit Bumrah
The newly-anointed captain has taken over the mantle of captaincy from Rohit Sharma for the first Border Gavaskar Trophy Test, which would add to his responsibilities. Rather than leading India with the ball, Bumrah will be the man making all the decisions for India at least in the first IND vs AUS Test.
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