As the highly anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy series between India and Australia approaches, former Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardena has weighed in with his thoughts on the outcome. Jayawardena believes that the current No.1 ranked Test team in the world, Australia, have a chance to defeat India in the subcontinent. The Men in Yellow have only lost one contest in the ongoing World Test Championship (WTC) cycle and a positive result in India could secure their spot in the finals of the tournament.
Adding to the excitement of the series, Jayawardena stated in the latest edition of the ICC Review that it will be a tough match but he’s hoping for a 2-1 win for Australia. The contest between the Indian batters and the Australian bowlers is one to watch out for, as the former Sri Lanka captain believes it will be fascinating.
Australia have named four spinners in their 18-man contingent for the tour, but they are battling a serious injury crisis to their pace bowling unit. Young opener Shubman Gill, who has earned the title of an all-format player, may be forced to operate in a different role with Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul expected to open the innings. However, Jayawardena notes that Gill’s technical soundness and good pace play should keep him in good stead against the Australian attack.
The first of the four Tests will begin on February 9 in Nagpur, and it promises to be an exciting and thrilling encounter between two of the world’s top cricketing nations. With Jayawardena’s words ringing in our ears, “It will be a fascinating series”, we cannot wait to see who will come out on top in this battle for supremacy.”