5 Talking Points: As an Inconsistent India Gears Up For A Wounded Australia For BGT 2024/25

Cricket is a great humbler! One day, you are on top, and the next day, you find yourself in the middle of a huge crisis. The Indian Cricket Team is gearing up for its first of five Test matches against the mighty Australians, as a humiliating 0-3 clean sweep against New Zealand at home has landed the Men In Blue in a very tricky situation with their World Test Championship aspirations hanging by a slender rope. 

In this article, we take a look at the five major talking points ahead of India’s first-ever five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) Test series against Australia down under. 

Injuries And Unavailabilities already a concern

Just like the previous two editions of the BGT down under, the Indians will be taking the field without some of their key personnel. 

Team India will be missing Rohit Sharma for the first Test in Perth, with the 37-year-old taking a paternity leave to be with his family following the birth of his second child. The lack of a leader and someone who has been pivotal to India’s success in the past – especially against Australia – will be a big loss. 

In Rohit’s absence, it’s likely that the out of confidence KL Rahul might get the nod alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal. 

While Rohit’s absence was preempted, the fact that India will also be without Shubhman Gill will come as a big blow to many. The 25-year-old right hander was among a handful Indian batsmen who looked in decent form against New Zealand at home. In some positive news, according to several reports, it was said that the knock to his thumb will only rule him out for the first Test in Perth, unless there are other complications. 

In Gill’s absence, it’s likely that stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah and head coach Gautam Gambhir will give young prospect Devdutt Padikkal a run at the #3 slot. Earlier during the year, Padikkal was part of the touring India A side that played two 3-day matches against Australia, where he scored a composed 88 during the second innings at Mackay. 

Vulnerability Against Seam And Swing

All of India’s major collapses in recent times have come under conditions where the pacers have got help in the air and off the deck. 

India won their last two Test series in Australia, but their lowest-ever score also came during the Border Gavaskar Trophy in 2020-21, where India were infamously bowled out for just 36 in the Day-Night Test at the Adelaide Oval. The pink ball tends to do more than the traditional red ball, and Indian batters have always found it difficult to tackle that extra movement.

India experienced a similar fate on the second day of the opening Test against New Zealand last month when they got bowled out for just 46, their lowest ever score in Test cricket on home soil. The fact that it was the very next match after India crushed batting records in Kanpur with the fastest team 50, 100, 150, and 200, makes this batting collapse an even bigger shock.

No Anchor In The Absence of Cheteshwar Pujara

India are currently going through a transition period, with many of their old guards handing over the baton to the flamboyant and exuberant younger generation. Young batters like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Sarfaraz Khan and Rishabh Pant all like to play their shots, however, it is this knack of getting out of trouble by hitting big shots that could haunt India just like it did in the first innings of the Bengaluru Test. 

One of the major reasons for India’s success in the last couple of Australian tours was the solid foundation laid by Cheteshwar Pujara. He stood tall with his compact defence and held one end up in crucial India wins, which allowed other players to play freely. 

There is no such player in the current Indian team, adding a lot more responsibility on the shoulders of senior members like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and KL Rahul, who themselves are going through a lean patch, to avoid collapses in the batting line-up.

Inexperienced bowling line-up

With Mohammed Shami unavailable for the first Test, the focus is firmly on how India’s relatively inexperienced pace unit measures up against Australia’s seasoned attack in home conditions.

Bumrah enters this series in scintillating form, having performed brilliantly across formats in 2024. As a bowler, his ability to exploit bounce and execute toe-crushing yorkers makes him lethal on Australian hard surfaces. Siraj, on the other hand, has been inconsistent in terms of productivity of late. Thus, he will look to regain form in the crucial five-match series against Australia.

Reportedly set to debut as India’s sole seam-bowling all-rounder, Nitish Kumar Reddy will add balance to the side. With Hardik Pandya and Shardul Thakur not making the cut, Reddy’s inclusion reflects India’s need for versatility. Although his domestic performances suggest promise, facing Australia in their backyard will be a baptism of fire for the Andhra Pradesh all-rounder. 

The management and Rohit have also backed young guns Akash Deep and Harshit Rana, both raw and aggressive fast bowlers who like to hit the deck hard. There’s bags of potential, however, the pressure of performing against a high-calibre side like Australia will test their mettle. 

What’s At Stake?

Following their humiliating 0-3 home series defeat to New Zealand, their first home Test series defeat in 12 years, India are on the brink of missing out on making it to next year’s World Test Championship final in Lord’s. 

As a result of their 0-3 series loss to New Zealand, India are now sitting in second place behind Australia in the World Test Championship points standings, and will need to win at least four out of the five-Test against the Aussies in their own backyard. It can’t get much tougher than this. However, their qualification would still hinge on the performances of South Africa, Sri Lanka and New Zealand.

The Men In Blue have no one but themselves to blame for ending up in such a precarious situation. That being said, in the last two BGTs down under, no one gave those Indian teams a sniff and they ended up toppling the mighty Australians. A comprehensive series victory is not entirely out of the realm of possibility given how unpredictable this Indian team has been of late.