“4-0, a distant dream” – Sanjay Manjrekar gives a reality check amid Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s poor form ahead of 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy
Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar gave a reality check to the visitors amid Virat Kohli and skipper Rohit Sharma’s poor form with the bat ahead of the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Following a humiliating 0-3 whitewash by New Zealand at home, Manjrekar reckoned that a 4-0 victory seems a distant dream Down Under. He added that the visitors should take one step at a time while stressing the absence of speedster Mohammed Shami in the five-match series.
The cricketer-turned-commentator told Star Sports (via The Times of India):
"4-0, a distant dream, just take one step at a time and the first couple of steps, which is Perth and the next one in Adelaide are going to be India's toughest tests. We need Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, one of them, to have a great series. Problem for India is that the bowling which has been their great strength in the last couple of years, Shami missing."
Notably, Kohli and Rohit have managed 93 and 91, respectively, in the three-match Test series against the Kiwis at home. They have managed a solitary half-century in their last five Tests.
Meanwhile, Mohammad Shami is making his comeback to competitive cricket for Bengal in the Ranji Trophy after almost one year. The speedster has been ignored for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after not playing any form of cricket since the 2023 ODI World Cup.
“Forget what happened against New Zealand” – Sunil Gavaskar wants India to turn the tables in 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has backed India to turn the tables in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy following the series clean sweep by New Zealand. He also stressed the importance of Rishabh Pant in the five-match series. He said in the same interaction:
"No team, including the champion West Indies of the past has beaten Australia 4-0 to the best of my recollection. They've got a very good captain Rohit Sharma who's always been somebody who's been able to lift the team up."
"Rishabh Pant has got the great ability to soak up the pressure. He just wants to go out there and enjoy himself, play to the best of his ability. Forget what happened against New Zealand, they've just got to believe that they can turn the tables on Australia like they've done on the last couple of tours to Australia," he added.
Pant was the chief architect behind India's 2-1 win in Australia during the 2020/21 series. The southpaw amassed 274 runs, including two half-centuries. He scored an unbeaten 89 at Gabba, where the visitors sealed the series to complete consecutive series wins Down Under.
The five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy will begin in Perth on November 22. India are yet to lose a Test series in Australia in the last 10 years, winning the 2017/18 and 2020/21 series by identical 2-1 margins.