New Delhi, Nov 4 (IANS): Former Australia wicketkeeper-batter Adam Gilchrist has said the way in which India will bounce back from 3-0 Test series defeat to New Zealand will be fascinating to watch when they face Australia in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy series.
India will be heading Australia for the all-important marquee series after suffering an unprecedented 3-0 defeat to New Zealand at home, marking it their first Test series loss at home in 12 years. "It does (have an impact), more for the Indian players and the Indian team internally. They have to be asking themselves pretty hard questions.
"I'm not expecting them to come out and be easy beats, but I do think on the back of that loss and the fact that it was a clean sweep — I cannot remember when that’s happened to them, just losing a series, let alone a clean sweep.
"I think that will raise some questions internally and the pressure, the expectation and the desire from a passionate cricketing nation to see that change around, that’ll ride heavily on those shoulders of all those players.
"There are a few ageing players there who may start to even second guess themselves a little bit. There’s some high class cricketers in that Indian squad. It’s going to be fascinating to see how they rebound from that challenge," said Gilchrist to Fox Sports.
India have won the last two Test series in Australia by identical 2-1 margins in 2018/19 and 2020/21 trips. Former spinner Kerry O’Keeffe thinks the visitors’ still have a host of players capable of taking India to a hat-trick of Test series wins in Australia, though he admitted some stalwarts are in sunset of their careers.
"They have trump cards still, India. That’s why they’re dangerous. (Jasprit) Bumrah and (Rishabh) Pant are absolute trumps. Shubman Gill will develop into outstanding number three. They have the spin if it turns in (Ravindra) Jadeja and (Ravi) Ashwin.
"But their champions are in the twilight and they’re coming for one more tilt at us, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. That is the key. They are so good, and have been so good, but you don’t want to come to Australia in the twilight. It’s a tough place," he said.
O’Keeffe signed off by saying Australia will definitely come hard at Kohli and Rohit, who could miss the opening Test in Perth starting on November 22 due to personal reasons. “They have the psyche that might turn that around, but Australia will go hard at them. Rohit Sharma may miss one or two Tests, but he is the captain, and Australia always tries to torpedo the visiting captain.
"It’s been a tactic they’ve used forever, and I think they’ll go very hard at Rohit Sharma. And Kohli, who has worried them over the years, what a stunning player he’s been, but in sport, if you sense that the King of the jungle is slightly weaker, you poke a bit of cheek at him.
"I'm fascinated to see what Virat Kohli ends up with at the end of the summer. It could be the decisive point in the whole summer. If he has an absolutely blazing series, India could win."