India or Australia - Which team will be more concerned about their batting failures ahead of BGT 2024-25 4th Test?
The 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) has not lived up to the expectations so far. The first two BGT matches were lopsided. In the third Test, rain ruined the fun at the Gabba, resulting in a draw. India and Australia have won one Test each, with two more Tests to go.
Fans expect the thrills to go on a whole other level during the fourth and fifth Tests. One of the reasons why the series has not been that entertaining is the batting failure of both India and Australia. The first Test ended in four days, while the second Test lasted only three days.
Rain interruptions led to a draw in Brisbane, but even in that game, India were down to 74/5 in the first innings while Australia collapsed to 60/6 in their second innings. In this article now, we will analyze the overall batting performance of India and Australia and decide which team should be more concerned before the fourth Test.
India will be happy with their batters' overall performance in BGT 2024-25
Talking about India's performance with the bat in BGT 2024-25, KL Rahul has been the top-scorer with 235 runs in three Tests, averaging 47. Rahul has two half-centuries to his name in this series.
Virat Kohli and Yashasvi Jaiswal have registered one century each, while debutant Nitish Kumar Reddy has amassed 179 runs at an impressive average of 44.75. Ravindra Jadeja played a crucial knock of 77 runs in the last game, while Akash Deep and Jasprit Bumrah played their roles to perfection in the lower order.
Only Rishabh Pant, Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma have not been able to contribute much with the bat in BGT 2024-25. However, considering their performances on Australian soil, it should be a matter of time before the trio gets going and scores big for the team.
Hence, India will be slightly concerned about their batting, but it is rare to see all batters of any team in form througout a series, especially away from home.
Australia have been too over-reliant on Travis Head in BGT 2024-25
While a majority of Indian batters have tackled the Australian bowling unit well, the Aussie batters have had a hard time in this series. Except Travis Head, other Australian batters have been quite ordinary. Steve Smith did score a hundred in Brisbane, but he had to work really hard for it, and there were multiple instances where Smith could have lost his wicket cheaply.
Usman Khawaja has looked out of touch. His opening partner Nathan McSweeney has already been dropped from the BGT squad. Even Marnus Labuschagne and Mitchell Marsh's aggregate has been less than 100 after three Tests.
Head and Alex Carey are the top two run-getters for the home team in BGT 2024-25. Captain Pat Cummins will be extremely concerned about his top-order batters. The fact that Australia have drafted in uncapped 19-year-old batter Sam Konstas for the Boxing Day showdown shows that the home team is in panic mode.
Looking at the performance of the two teams in the first three BGT matches, Australia seem more concerned about their batting ahead of the fourth Test.