Former Australia Test captain Ian Chappell believes if the Indian batters try to go over the top with their shots in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, then they will be found out by extra bounce in the conditions during the all-important series. India will reach the Australian shores after a disappointing 3-0 series defeat to New Zealand at home. The poor form of captain Rohit Sharma and talismanic batter Virat Kohli are among the visitors’ main concerns.

“India have got some batting problems. I think Jaiswal is a very good-looking young player, a left-hand opener, I think Gill can really play. But then you’ve got Kohli and Rohit Sharma, who are both ageing, and you get to that point where people start talking about it and maybe it starts to creep into your head a little bit (where you think), ‘Am I getting to that age where it starts to go downhill?’, and they’re both at that age.”

“The only thing I’d say against that is they’re coming to Australia where the pitches are pretty good, but there’ll be the extra bounce and if they have gone over the top then the extra bounce will find them out,” said Chappell on Wide World of Sports’ Outside the Rope show.

India have won the past two-Test series in Australia by identical 2-1 margins in 2018/19 and 2020/21, respectively. Former Australia skipper Mark Taylor thinks that with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli not in great form, the pressure to make big runs is more on the young batters in the squad.

“They (India) have moved on Pujara and they’ve moved on Rahane, and they’ve left Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, their best two players, but all of a sudden they’ve had a bit of a rocky period… and that has put pressure now on the younger guys and also their lower-order. You still need to make the bulk of your runs from your best players, and over the last probably 12 or 18 months that hasn’t been the case for India.”

The 2024/25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy will see India and Australia play Test matches in Perth, Adelaide (pink-ball match), Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney from November 22 to January 7, 2025. It will also be the first five-match Test series between India and Australia since 1991/92.

File image of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.© AFP

After being confirmed to open for Australia A in the second four-day match against India A at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), skipper Nathan McSweeney said he will be very much comfortable and confident of opening the batting against brand new Kookaburra ball. McSweeney has never opened in first-class cricket but will partner with Marcus Harris in a move that signifies the duo are ahead in the race to be Usman Khawaja’s partner for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy opening game against India, starting on November 22 in Perth.

McSweeney, who represents South Australia in domestic cricket, made scores of 39 and 88 not out as a number four batter in the seven-wicket win for Australia A over India A in the first four-day game at the Great Barrier Reef Arena in Mackay. “For me, nothing really changes. Batting three for South Australia, I do similar prep with the new ball. For me, it’s try and nail the same preparation. Go out there and give myself every chance to go out and do a good job for the team.”

“I haven’t done it before at Shield level (but) did it quite a bit growing up and a little bit in grade cricket. Batting three, you can be in on the second ball of the game. I’m very comfortable with it … I’m confident for sure, and hopefully I can put my best foot forward,” said McSweeney in an upcoming episode of cricket.com.au’s Unplayable Podcast.

The batter began his career at Queensland, but due to the presence of Khawaja, Marnus, Labuschagne, Matthew Renshaw and Joe Burns meant McSweeney moved to Southern Australia.

From there, making 99 not out against New South Wales in the final match of the 2021-22 season, which ended South Australia’s 16-game winless streak made him a regular in the side’s line-up, and eventually became their captain. “Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to play for Australia. That’s the direction you train (for). I didn’t quite nail my Shield stuff at the start, and I was able to go back and learn a lot about my game and myself, and how I want to go about it.”

“Now being one of South Australia’s important players, and I feel like being captain of that side also adds a bit of extra layer of importance. It’s up to me to make sure that I can make some runs to put the team in position to win. So I think that stuff (leadership) has really helped me.”

“It’s just about embracing (the extra attention). I’ve got to think about it. I want to play for Australia. So does everyone who plays domestic cricket. It doesn’t stop me from preparing as best I can and trying to go out and play my game. Unfortunately, we don’t have any control of what they’re going to do selection-wise, so all I can control is my preparation and what will be, will be,” he said.

Being selected for the Australian Test team would also get McSweeney to reunite with Labuschagne, who has been the youngster’s mentor during his early days as a rookie player with Queensland.

“I think we have similar styles of games. The areas we score in are probably quite similar. I’ve probably tried to emulate (him) at times, and now I’ve tried to find my own way that I want to go about it (and) that’s natural to me,” he added.

“I think there’s definitely similarities and the same kind of philosophy when we bat. He’s one of the best players in the world, so you’d be silly not to try to take a few things from his book. I think the way we set up – we take guard on off stump most of the time.”

“Playing in Brisbane probably forces you to do that, because you have to leave a lot of balls. The strength of my game when I’m playing well is good decision-making. I make the bowler bowl to me and try and put him away when he misses.”

“Marnus does the exact same thing. He talks a lot about (bat) grips and everything you can possibly think of. I don’t try to tinker too much with that. It’s just about trying to make sure my mind’s clear,” he concluded.

File image of Sunil Gavaskar.© BCCI

File image of Virat Kohli.© AFP

India fast-bowler Mohammed Shami, who is recovering from an ankle injury, will not play in Bengal’s upcoming Ranji Trophy match against Karnataka, starting from November 6 in Bengaluru. The squad led by Anustup Majumdar, announced on Saturday, did not include Shami’s name. Though the Bengal squad remains unchanged for the fifth round of the Ranji Trophy against Madhya Pradesh, there is a high likelihood of Shami taking part in the match scheduled to begin from November 13 at Holkar Stadium in Indore.

Bengal, with coach Laxmi Ratan Shukla at the helm, holds the fourth spot in Elite Group C with five points after three Ranji Trophy matches.

“Shami will not be playing the Bengal game against Karnataka, and most probably, he will play the match against Madhya Pradesh. The information received from the BCCI Centre of Excellence was that he will not be rushed into action. There have also been thoughts that Shami wants to do his competitive cricket return at his pace and comfort,” said sources to IANS.

Shami, who’s taken 229 wickets in 64 Tests, bowled in the Indian team nets to Shubman Gill and a padded-up assistant coach Abhishek Nayar at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium after they lost the Test series opener to New Zealand by eight wickets on October 20.

The very next day, Shami said at a promotional event at Gurugram that he was 100% pain-free and expressed his keen interest in playing a few domestic matches. It will be interesting to see if Shami will be available for the Indian team through the third Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test at Brisbane, starting from December 14.

Shami’s last competitive cricket match was when India played the 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup final against Australia at Ahmedabad on November 19, 2023. In that tournament, despite not playing in India’s initial matches, Shami picked 24 wickets at an average of 10.70 to be the leading wicket-taker in the competition.

He then successfully underwent surgery on February 26 in London this year for solving his right achilles tendon problem and has been at the NCA since then for rehabilitation and recovery programme, followed by a recent gradual return to bowling.

Shami had played a pivotal role in India’s first-ever Test series win in Australia in 2018/19, where he picked 16 wickets in four matches at an average of 26.18. Though he didn’t play after the first Test in Adelaide in the 2020/21 tour due to a fractured right forearm, India managed to secure an unforgettable 2-1 triumph.

Bengal Squad: Anustup Majumdar, Wriddhiman Saha, Sudip Chatterjee, Sudip Kr Gharami, Shahbaz Ahmed, Writtick Chatterjee, Avilin Ghosh, Shuvam Dey, Shakir Habib Gandhi, Pradipta Pramanik, Aamir Gani, Ishan Porel, Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal, Md Kaif, Rohit Kumar, Rishav Vivek

India A vs Australia A, 1st Unofficial Test LIVE Streaming: India A will be squaring off against Australia A in the first Unofficial Test of the two-match series, starting from Thursday in Mackay, Australia. The outings of Abhimanyu Easwaran, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Prasidh Krishna will be the primary focal points of India A’s four-day match. Easwaran, Nitish and Pradish have been included in India’s squad for the five-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, beginning on November 22, and the thinktank will be eager to know how they fare in Australian conditions.

Other than this aforementioned troika, the likes of skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad, top-order batter B Sai Sudharsan, pacers Yash Dayal and Navdeep Saini and middle-order batter Devdutt Padikkal can look forward to churn out some good efforts to keep themselves on the periphery of selection in case of an eventuality in the senior side. Ishan Kishan, the wicketkeeper batter, too will be eager to make the most of this chance after a finding his favour back with the powers that be.

When will the India A vs Australia A, 1st Unofficial Test match begin?

The India A vs Australia A, 1st Unofficial Test match will begin on Thursday, October 31.

Where will the India A vs Australia A, 1st Unofficial Test match be held?

The India A vs Australia A, 1st Unofficial Test match will be held at the Great Barrier Reef Arena, Mackay.

What time will the India A vs Australia A, 1st Unofficial Test match start?

The India A vs Australia A, 1st Unofficial Test match will start at 5:30 AM IST. The toss will take place at 5:00 AM.

Which TV channels will live telecast the India A vs Australia A, 1st Unofficial Test match?

The India A vs Australia A, 1st Unofficial Test match will not be telecast live in India

Where to follow the live streaming of the India A vs Australia A, 1st Unofficial Test match?

The India A vs Australia A, 1st Unofficial Test match will be streamed live on the Cricket.com.au app and website.

(All details are as per information provided by the broadcaster)

(With PTI Inputs)