5 India players who are selected for 2024-25 BGT and were also part of the squad in 2014 ft. KL Rahul
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the Indian squad for the Border Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 on Friday (October 25) night. An 18-man squad, with Rohit Sharma as captain and Jasprit Bumrah as his deputy has been declared as India look to beat Australia Down under for the third time in a row in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
The squad included a deserving call-up for opener Abhimanyu Easwaran, while Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, and Prasidh Krishna are the other new names in the side. Mohammed Shami is a notable omission, mostly due to fitness reasons, with Axar Patel also missing out to Washington Sundar.
It's interesting to note that quite a few members of this Indian side were also a part of the team that toured Australia way back in 2014-15, when MS Dhoni captained his last Test series.
Let's now look at these players who have stood the test of time and are a part of both the current squad and the one that toured Tasmanian shores ten years ago.
#5 KL Rahul
KL Rahul made his national debut in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2014-15, also scoring his maiden Test hundred in Sydney. Part of the 19-man squad selected for the tour, Rahul made his debut in the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne but had a horrid outing, aggregating just four runs across two innings.
However, with MS Dhoni retiring after that Test, Rahul was given another opportunity for the fourth and final Sydney Test in his preferred opening slot and he impressed, scoring 110 in the first innings to cement his place in the Test team. Since then, KL Rahul's tryst with the national team has been a rollercoaster ride where he has constantly had to fight for a place in the team, but at the same time, has received plenty of support from different captains and coaches.
India has placed plenty of faith in the talented batter ahead of the BGT, with Rahul set to occupy the No.6 spot in their playing XI. He'll look to impress in this tour of Australia like he has done in his recent SENA Tests.
#4 Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravichandran Ashwin is one of the best Test cricketers India has produced and is ranked second on the ICC Test All-Rounder and Bowler rankings. He was also a part of the Indian team that toured Australia in the 14-15 BGT.
Ashwin was surprisingly replaced by Karn Sharma for the first Test in Adelaide before returning to the XI for the next three matches. He finished the series as the fifth-highest wicket-taker, picking up 12 wickets in three games. He also made a few handy contributions with the bat, including a half-century in the final Test in Sydney.
Ashwin will be a crucial weapon for India in this series as they may be forced to play a second spinner, with his batting providing the team with much-needed depth in batting in addition to his mastery with the ball.
#3 Ravindra Jadeja
Ravindra Jadeja is an integral part of this Indian team across format and is the No.1 Test All-Rounder in the ICC Rankings. He's a lock at No.7 for this Indian team and should play a vital role with bat and ball.
While he was a part of the Indian squad for the BGT in 14-15, he didn't play a part in the series as India opted to field only one spinner in their XI and Karn Sharma, and later Ravichandran Ashwin took up that spot.
However, this time around, he's the spinner guaranteed a spot in the XI and lots of hope will rest on him to weave his magic with the ball and score some valuable runs with the bat.
#2 Rohit Sharma
Current Indian captain Rohit Sharma was a part of the Indian side that toured Australia in 2014-15 and played in the first two Tests in the middle order, before losing his spot to KL Rahul in the third Test.
He returned to the XI for the fourth match in place of Dhoni and scored 92 runs in the Sydney Test batting at No.3, in what was a pretty solid series for him. He now returns to Australia nearly 10 years later as the captain of the Indian team.
While he may not be in the best form right now, Rohit is a world-class batter who will cause problems for Australia. The Indian captain is one of the candidates to become the highest run-scorer of the series.
#1 Virat Kohli
In India's disappointing 0-2 defeat in the 2014-15 Border Gavaskar Trophy, Virat Kohli's outstanding performances with the bat were the only positives. Kohli finished 2nd on the run-scoring charts after Steve Smith, making 692 runs in the four Tests, scoring four hundreds, averaging 86.50.
The highlight was his stellar batting effort in a losing cause at Adelaide, where he scored hundreds in both innings. Sadly, it wasn't enough to secure India a win as they eventually lost by 48 runs. He had a forgettable Gabba Test before exploding once again in the Boxing Day Test, making a memorable 169 in the first innings.
As MS Dhoni stepped down after that match, Virat Kohli was appointed India's new Test captain, marking a new reign of dominance for the Indian team that began with the Sydney Test. India drew that match, with Kohli scoring another hundred, his first of many as a captain.
While he won't be captaining the side, Kohli remains just as important to this Indian team now as he was ten years ago and he should once again be one of the centres of attraction to this tour.