"Face the quicker bowlers. Not Bumrah, of course, because Bumrah can kill you" - Sunil Gavaskar's advice to young Indian batters for 2024/25 BGT
Former Indian opener Sunil Gavaskar has advised the young batters who will be touring Australia for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy to face the quick bowlers as much as possible in practice. He cheekily cautioned them against facing ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah too much in the nets due to his exceptional skill level.
Team India will play five Tests in a highly anticipated series against Australia Down Under, starting from November 22.
Speaking to the Indian Express after India's surprising home series defeat to New Zealand, Gavaskar looked forward to the Australia Tests and advised the young batters to believe in themselves and practice hard.
"Just believe in yourself. Practice as much as you can. I think there is some merit in facing throwdowns. But it is more important to play regular bowling. Face the quicker bowlers. Not (Jasprit) Bumrah, of course, because Bumrah can kill you. But you can ask others to bowl from 20 yards instead of 22 yards," Gavaskar said.
He added:
"So therefore, the ball comes on to the bat quickly. And you will get used to it. That is what I would say to the batsmen. In five-day games you have to be patient and you will score runs. Australian pitches are the best pitches to bat on after the new ball is done. And nowadays, the new ball is only swinging and moving for 10-12 overs."
India defeated Australia 2-1 in their last two Test series Down Under and have won the last four bilateral Test series against the Aussies.
Several youngsters like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sarfaraz Khan will be touring Australia for the first time with the senior Test team.
"I really do believe that they should have a warm-up game" - Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Gavaskar does not agree with India's decision to cancel their intra-squad warm-up against India A ahead of the Australia Tests.
Team India was initially scheduled to play a three-day match from November 15 to 17 before the opening Test in Perth on November 22. However, recent reports suggested that the team has instead decided on training and net sessions at the WACA in Perth.
"I really do believe that they should have a warm-up game. In the gaps between Test matches, they really should have warm-up games. Not necessarily for the senior players. But for the junior players who have never played in Australia before," said Gavaskar.
He added:
"For the Yashasvi Jaiswals, the Sarfaraz Khans, the Dhruv Jurels, all these young batters. Even against an Australia A team or a state side like Queensland. Juniors must be given the opportunity to get used to the bounce and pitches in Australia."
With the 3-0 series defeat to New Zealand, Team India will now have to defeat Australia by a 4-0 or better margin to control their World Test Championship (WTC) final qualification destiny.