Former Australian player Matthew Hayden named wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant is one of the key players for India in the upcoming Border Gavaskar Trophy as well. However, Team India will play against Australia in a five-match Test series from November 22 to January 3. and India have won the Border Gavaskar Trophy on the last four occasions, including two in Australia as well. In the 2020-21 tour, Rishabh Pant was on a great form, scoring 274 runs at an average of 68.50 with two crucial half-centuries as well.

Speaking about the upcoming India-Australia series at the CEAT Cricket Rating Awards ceremony, Matthew Hayden said, “Guys like Rishabh Pant have got a muscle memory and the thirst for victory. He was such a key player last time he played there and the Australian public loved him as well, because of the nature of the way he played his game,” said Hayden. “It was exciting. It was innovative. It was just fresh and good. Then you have got your old stewards, like Virat Kohli, (he) will want to make an impression again. From a batting point of view, I’m excited to see how India have that strategy to take on the Australian conditions.”

However, Rishabh Pant saved his best for the last where he smashed 97 and 89* in the final two Test matches to help India draw the penultimate game in Sydney and pull off a successful run-chase of 328 in the final Test in Brisbane as well.

“The great thing from an Indian perspective is that when you look at the last victory, there was no Virat Kohli. There was a very much a second team bowling line-up that won at the Gabba. That’s the kind of confidence that you can expect this Indian unit to go to our shores (with) and go, ‘guys, we’ve done this before, and we’ve done it in a way that’s second to none, even without our key players,” concluded Hayden.