"Ind should look to go after him" - Wasim Jaffer names the Australian bowler India should target in 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy
Former Indian opener Wasim Jaffer believes that Team India batters should target Australian spinner Nathan Lyon in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He opined that the veteran bowler will be the 'key man' for the hosts in the crucial series.
Jaffer feels that one of Australia's four pacers having a bad series won't hurt them. He, however, emphasized that Lyon must fire for the Pat Cummins-led side to have an advantage over the Indian team in the much-anticipated series.
Taking to the microblogging platform X, Jaffer wrote:
"Lot of talk about Aus quicks but I think the key man holding Aus attack together is Lyon. Ind should look to go after him. Aus don't have Cam Green who's steady 4th seamer. Aus can afford one of the quicks to have a bad series but they can't afford the same with Lyon. #AUSVIND"
It is worth mentioning that Nathan Lyon has enjoyed great success against India in Test cricket. With 121 wickets from 49 innings, he has bagged the most wickets in India vs Australia Tests.
"He deserves to play at No. 3" - Wasim Jaffer wants to see Devdutt Padikkal in India's top order for 1st Test of 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy
With Shubman Gill nursing an injury, Team India are in search of a new No. 3 for the Border-Gavaskar Test series opener against Australia. Wasim Jaffer reckoned that Devdutt Padikkal should get the nod from the team management for the role.
Padikkal has played just one Test match so far in his career. The southpaw notched up a fine half-century, scoring 65 runs in his debut outing against England earlier this year.
Speaking about Padikkal, Jaffer told ESPNcricinfo:
"I believe Padikkal should be played at No. 3, he has played Tests for India before and is familiar with that number. He has scored runs there and is also a left-handed batsman, so he deserves to play at No. 3."
Padikkal was initially not named in India's squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and was a late addition. The former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batter registered scores of 36, 88, 26, and one in the two unofficial Tests between India A and Australia A.