Perhaps it will be for the first time in the history of the game, Team India will start as favorites against Australia in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy Down Under. Despite an underwhelming record overseas this year, Virat Kohli and his men seem to have the edge over Australia ahead of the four-match Test series starting December 6 in Adelaide, who will not only be missing the services of Steve Smith and David Warner but also faced a 0-1 loss to Pakistan in the UAE.
But while India might be the better team on paper, the Australian team at their home can be a huge threat for the visitors. One person who will be familiar with it is senior fast bowler Ishant Sharma, who has landed Down Under for a tour for the fourth time since his debut game in 2007. India has never won a Test series in Australia, and despite the tough challenge that awaits them, the fast bowler asserts that the current bunch of players is geared up to create history this time around.
Describing the team’s environment, Sharma said, “The main aim is to win the series, and everybody is focussing on that. We aren’t even thinking about individual performances. It’s about wanting to win a Test series in Australia. If you ask me, this team is passionate and motivated. That is the biggest opportunity for us right now because we have the balance in the team and players who can do things for us. All this is pretty promising.”
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Ishant is expected to lead the pace attack which comprises match-winners like Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, and Mohammed Shami. During India’s tour to South Africa and England earlier this year, Indian bowlers have taken all the 20 wickets in 7 out of the eight games. However, Ishant’s experience of playing 10 Tests in Australia will come handy for India, although he dismisses the idea of it putting pressure on him.
Talking about the same, Lanky pacer said, “Obviously when you’re playing for India, the pressure is there. But I think it’s a great opportunity as well because we have healthy competition within the team with a lot of fast bowlers proving themselves,” Ishant said. “So you have to keep performing in order to keep a place in the team. We did well on the last two tours, in South Africa and England. So, we are not even thinking about it from a pressure point of view. We are viewing it as a strong opportunity to do well.”
India plays a four-day tour match against Cricket Australia XI starting Wednesday.
