IND VS AUS: One of the most important series of 2023, Team India will host Australia in the four-match Border Gavaskar Trophy series. The opening test is scheduled on February 9th at the VCA Stadium in Nagpur. The red ball series is of great importance to Rohit Sharma’s men. India must win three out of four Tests against Australia to reinforce their place in the 2023 World Test Championship (WTC) final.
Currently, the winning percentage is 68.9, with 8 wins in 14 tests, which puts them second in the WTC table. Men in Blue are currently participating in a 3-game ODI series against New Zealand. Prior to the white ball streak against the Black Caps, Team India hosted Sri Lanka with three T20Is and ODIs.
Given that the team has been playing white-ball cricket non-stop since the beginning of the year. Practising for the red-ball match ahead of the BGT series will give confidence to some of India’s top players. One way for the Indian player to achieve this is to play at least one Ranji trophy game before the Australian Series.
This article covers four Indian players who need to face Australia in the Ranji Trophy match before the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
IND VS AUS: Four Players Who Should Play Ranji Trophy Before The Series
4. KL Rahul
It is practically impossible for groom-to-be, KL Rahul, to play in Karnataka’s final group match against Jharkhand on 24 January. The Indian-born hitter is set to marry his girlfriend Athiya Shetty on Monday (January 23).
Indian Test team’s vice-captain, KL Rahul, is to open the batting alongside skipper Rohit Sharma in the Test match against Australia. The 30-year-old is part of the ODI and T20I squad against the New Zealand series. He will have the opportunity to practice matches ahead of the BGT series.
Karnataka has already qualified for the knockout stage of the Ranji Trophy. And from January 31st will play their quarterfinal match until February 4th. After a brief hiatus from international cricket, the right-hander who is set to start Australia’s series can be seen playing the Ranji Trophy game to practice for the match.
3. Shreyas Iyer
Like KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer is not currently part of India vs New Zealand ODI team. However, unlike the Karnataka batsmen, Iyer was ruled out of the white-ball streak due to a back injury.
It’s entirely out of the question for him to play the final Ranji Trophy group game for Mumbai. But if Mumbai qualifies for the knockout rounds, he could play in the quarterfinals on January 31. With Rishabh Pant missing, the importance of Iyer in middle overs has increased further. Team India hopes that Iyer will be in good form against Australia.
2. Virat Kohli
Modern-day legend Virat Kohli has reaffirmed his dominance in white-ball cricket. But has yet to reflect his new form in a Test match. Kohli’s form and experience will be paramount for the striking unit if India is to beat Australia at home next month.
Some cricket pundits say Virat is to skip his third ODI to play his game in Delhi before his BGT series. India has not held a training game before the Test series. So playing little red ball cricket for Delhi in preparation for Australia’s challenge may not be the wrong move for Kohli.
1. Ravindra Jadeja
Ravindra Jadeja is probably the only name that is guaranteed to appear in the Ranji Trophy game ahead of the upcoming test series. Jadeja, who has been on hiatus since August, will return to the pitch. The star all-rounder has been called up to Saurashtra’s squad for Tuesday’s (4 Jan) group final match against Tamil Nadu. The left-hander joined the team in Chennai on Sunday.
Jadeja was included in the India squad for his BGT series, but his availability was dependent on fitness. But it would certainly be a morale booster for both him and the Indian team for the 34-year-old to take part in a domestic match before his big clash with Australia.
