Though many cricket experts have tagged India as a favourite team for the upcoming four-match Test series on the Australian soil, the former Australian wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist doesn’t feel the same.
India has never won a Test series on the Australian soil while they have won only five Tests on the Australian soil out of 44 Tests (hosts Australia won 28 Tests). Moreover, last time India won a Test in Australia in January 2008 at Perth.
Looking at this history, the former Aussie wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist feels that India will not start as the favourite team in the upcoming Test series.
Recently, Gilchrist told Cricketnext, “I don’t think I can say that India will start as favourites because history will tell you that it (Australia) is a very tough place. Some great Indian teams, some great teams from England have come here and they have had limited success.”
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Despite Australia is currently struggling in the international cricket due to some of their internal issues, including the worldwide controversies for unsportsmanlike behaviours, Gilchrist feels they are still enough strong as a home side.
He added, “Australia have always been a dominating side in their own backyard and they will believe that they will do well again. India will have to find a way to start on a high,”
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However, Gilchrist praised the Indian captain Virat Kohli and he believes it is one of the best India sides ever have toured Australia.
Gilchrist said on Kohli, “I think Virat is a captain and a character that will want to do that. I think he is an inspired young leader who likes to keep the team motivated and he does that by scoring heavily. He will try to forget the past, and they have new and young players who don’t have the scars of the previous tour and they also have a very good pace attack. It has to be one of the best India have ever had.”
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Talking further about the pace-attack, Gilchrist said that both teams have the world-class pace-bowling sides. He added that India’s success will largely depend on how the bowlers will manage to adjust the unfamiliar conditions.
Gilchrist added, “India have had good individuals but the current attack as a group is very promising. If they manage to adjust well here, they have a serious chance to succeed. Australia too have a world-class bowling that will test Indian batsmen. If people would have seen that series against England closely, yes they won by a fair margin, but India had their moments.”
