Border-Gavaskar Trophy : 5 players to watch out for

The Border-Gavaskar Trophy is among the fiercest rivalries in Test cricket. Both India and Australia have produced some memorable moments whenever they have locked horns against each other.

India have their tasks cut out for them to make it to the final of the World Test Championship - they need to beat Australia in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy, starting February 9.

India currently hold this prestigious trophy thanks to their historic 2-1 win over Australia in the 2020-21 edition. India have held the edge over the Australians in recent times, winning the last three editions of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

𝗧𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗮 𝗵𝗮𝗶 𝗚𝗮𝗯𝗯𝗮 𝗞𝗮 𝗚𝗵𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱 🫶

#OnThisDay in 2021, #TeamIndia created history and became the first nation since 1988 to breach the Fortress Gabba 💙🇮🇳

📹 | Relive the historic moment here 🏏

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As far as the Australians are concerned, they have often struggled to adapt to sub-continent conditions and have had a torrid time for the most part on tours to India. Nonetheless, one thing the rivalry has never failed to provide is top-quality cricket.

The Australians have started their preparations for this year's Border-Gavaskar Trophy and have been practicing on pitches that replicate the conditions in India.

🇮🇳's all set to be tested by🔥as they🤺against the No.1 Test cricket team in the world, #Australia

Will they emerge triumphant in this test fire? 🥵

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In what promises to be a mouth-watering contest between the two top teams, there will be certain players who will grab people's eyeballs.

In this article, we list five players who will most likely be among the top performers in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

5 players to watch out for in Border-Gavaskar Trophy

#1 Virat Kohli

One of the best batsmen who has stepped onto the cricket field, Virat Kohli seems to be regaining his mojo after a slump in recent years. He has been making centuries for fun recently, is not trying to force things anymore, and has also restored his signature aggression against opponents, giving his fans every reason to cheer again.

Take a bow, Virat Kohli 🫡

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But it's all happening in white-ball cricket; his red-ball form is still something the team management and the fans are worried about.

Virat managed to score only 265 runs in six test matches last year with a below-par average of 26.50. In the recent Bangladesh series, he could muster only 45 runs in four innings.

But his hunger for runs is not something anyone is unaware of. In the past, he has shown his character by bouncing back from these kinds of lean patches.

Remember the 2014 England series where he struggled against James Anderson and co. and could only manage to score 134 in 5 matches? Kohli endured a disastrous outing on that tour, averaging only 13.40.

115 and 141 🔥🔥🔥

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But his comeback was nothing short of a Magnum Opus; he marked his comeback like a theatrical performance in front of the Adelaide crowd with twin centuries, and the rest, as they say, is history. Virat scored a total of 692 runs in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2014. It is still the highest score by any Indian batsman in Australia.

Kohli loves to play against the Australians. Maybe, like the Australians, Kohli also has a "never say die" attitude in him, and that's what makes him enjoy playing and piling runs against the Kangaroos.

Against his favorite opponents, Virat has amassed 1682 runs, smashing 7 centuries against them. There will be no better time or opponent for Kohli to make that kind of comeback again and help his team reach the World Test Championship final for the second consecutive time.

#2 Nathan Lyon

Australian spin spearhead Nathan Lyon has been dubbed the 'GOAT' - the greatest of all time - by his teammates. And rightly so. After a long search for a frontline spinner in the post-Shane Warne era, Australia finally found what they were looking for: a match-winning spinner in Lyon, who can turn matches on their head with his craft.

Wicket No.400 for the GOAT!

The third Australian to reach the milestone #Ashes @VodafoneAU https://t.co/oA7SzQeJhS

Having already scalped 460 wickets in 115 Test matches for Australia, Lyon's potency has not waned, and he is certainly eyeing the 500 wickets milestone. It would be a great achievement for a spin bowler who has played most of his matches on Australian soil, where there isn't much assistance for the spinners.

His recent form is not something he will be pleased with. Since January 2021, he has taken only 66 wickets in 17 matches with an average of 31.78. But the most worrying aspect was his strike rate of 74.7.

Remember when Nathan Lyon - who turns 34 today! - took a wicket on the ball the MCG was all ready to scream 'Niiiiice Garry' in unison? Good times 😂 Happy birthday, 🐐 https://t.co/dH6roZwWRo

If Australia stands any chance of emulating India's recent Border-Gavaskar Trophy heroics, then Lyon will have immense responsibility on his shoulders. He will take inspiration from Australia's 2017 tour, where he and Steve O'Keefe troubled the Indian batsmen and managed to win the Pune Test.

Although Lyon is not at his best right now, Indian batsmen will surely not dare to take the 'GOAT' lightly in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

#3 Cheteshwar Pujara

If you are in the Australian dressing room, you have probably been to several meetings by now to come up with strategies against one batsman in the Indian batting line-up: Cheteshwar Pujara. The right-handed batsman has proven to be Australia's nemesis right from the start of his Test career.

Cheteshwar Pujara appreciation tweet 😌

He will leave the Gabba battered and bruised and a winner...

56 off 211 balls and hours occupied frustrating the Aussie bowlers 👏 https://t.co/7J8lYa4mWd

Pujara was at his peak in the 2018 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, where he amassed 521 runs while facing 1,258 deliveries in the entire tour.

In the 2020-21 edition, he scored 274 runs, but most importantly, he stood like a wall and faced 928 balls. He soaked up the pressure and saw off the threat of the new ball, allowing players like Rishabh Pant to play their natural game.

Among the players who batted in at least three innings, Pujara, who registered three 50+ scores, had the best balls-per-dismissal (116) ratio. He also took a lot of blows to his body but didn't give up.

Bowling to Pujara for long hours where he is casually blocking your good balls can be frustrating for anyone, and Josh Hazlewood was perhaps one of them.

Indian fielding coach R. Sridhar, who once suggested the same to Ravichandran Ashwin on the latter's YouTube channel, said:

"I received some information from the Australian dressing room when they were analyzing Pujara's batting. Hazlewood apparently threw his cap down and said, 'Enough of me seeing Pujara again; I have seen him enough on the field.'"

Happy Birthday @cheteshwar1

Most balls faced in a test innings for India - 525
Most runs for India in their first test series win in Australia - 521

Which is your favorite Test innings of Pujara's test career?

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Australia's problems do not seem to be ending soon; it seems as though Pujara will be coming into the series in stupendous form. He scored 226 runs on the turning tracks in the Bangladesh series, also ending his three-year century drought. Australia will be wary of that as he is one of the best batsmen against spinners in the Indian batting lineup.

#4 Steve Smith

Australian mainstay Steve Smith is in red-hot form going into the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. In the most recent series against South Africa, the New South Wales-born player amassed 231 runs in four innings. In his own words, he has "found his hands back," which is certainly not a good sign for the hosts in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy series.

We are watching a modern-day legend!

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Smith loves batting against India, whether it's in India or Australia. He averages 72.58 against India, and it would be an understatement to say that the Indian think tank will surely have his name at the top of their list when making strategies.

He is one of the rarest commodities in cricket right now who plays spin with ease, and an average of 60 in India exemplifies his abilities.

Remember his brilliant innings of 109 in Pune in the 2017 Border-Gavaskar Trophy series? He valiantly faced the Indian spinners on a rank-turner pitch, perfectly paced his innings, and played a blinder in what was perhaps one of his best Test knocks.

Was Steve Smith's 109 in Pune the best Test batting performance of 2017?

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The Indian batsmen also found the wicket to be extremely tricky and were bundled out for 105 and 107 in their two innings.

It's clear that it will not be easy for Indian bowlers to get past Steve Smith in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, and if he continues to "find his hands back," then Rohit Sharma's men will be in for a tough time.

#5 Ravindra Jadeja

In what has been a relief for Indian management, all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has made a sensational comeback to cricket. Jadeja sustained a knee injury during the 2022 Asia Cup and has been out of action since, but his return has rung the warning bells for Australia ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series.

He led Saurashtra in their recent Ranji Trophy match against Tamil Nadu, grabbing seven wickets in the third innings.

First cherry of the season.🫣#redcherry https://t.co/NY0TYwQjxn

He has been an integral part of India, especially in the Test setup, where he not only bowls long spells but his batting at six or seven also adds great value to the team.

Jadeja boasts a great record as a Test bowler, taking 175 wickets in just 36 matches played in India with an average of 20.66. However, Jadeja, the batsman, has been a revelation for India in Test matches recently, averaging 82 in the five innings that he played in 2022.

Sir Jadeja brings out the sword once again ⚔️🔥

It's been a century of the highest order from #TeamIndia's star all-rounder 🤩💯

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It will be interesting to see, with him coming off an injury, how he performs in the high-octane pressure series against the Australians with the World Test Championship finals on the line.