"That will be great theatre" - Jason Gillespie looking forward to seeing Pat Cummins vs Virat Kohli in Border-Gavaskar Trophy
Former Australian speedster Jason Gillespie is looking forward to the battle between Virat Kohli and Pat Cummins in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He feels it will be intriguing to see two cricketers at the top of their game locking horns with one another.
Cummins, the number one Test bowler, has got the better of Kohli five times in red-ball cricket, with the right-hander averaging only 16.40 in 10 innings. While the Aussie is arguably a sensational bowler, he will be wary of Kohli, who has shown glimpses of returning to his best form.
The superstar Indian batter also averages a daunting 61.06 in Tests at home.
Pat Cummins is on a hat-trick... South Africa are nine down... but it's the end of the over #AUSvSA
Speaking to the Hindustan Times, Jason Gillespie opined that Pat Cummins should take the ball when Virat Kohli comes on strike. The 47-year-old feels Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood are all extremely effective with the old ball and can challenge the Indians.
He said:
"I am really looking forward to seeing Kohli vs Cummins. That's a fantastic match-up. It will be interesting to see how they go.
"When Virat comes out to bat, I would love to see Cummins take the ball and go at him straight away. That will be great theatre, two wonderful cricketers at the top of their game.
"Starc is obviously a left-armer and does get it to reverse very late. But Hazlewood and Cummins are equally good. They can all have a real impact with the old ball.
"Watch out for [Cameron] Green too. He can be a really awkward customer for the Indian batsmen. I think we will see the ball reverse swinging in this series."
It's worth noting that Australia have suffered an injury blow before the series itself, with Starc ruled out of the first Test due to a finger injury. Lance Morris or Scott Boland could slot in for the left-arm speedster for the series opener in Nagpur, starting on February 9.
"I'm excited as a cricket fan to see what this group of players can achieve in India" - Jason Gillespie
Earlier, Jason Gillespie earmarked the upcoming series to be a career-defining tour for many of Australia's players and urged them to keep a positive attitude throughout. He said (as quoted by Perth Now):
"Let's be honest, for this group of Australian players, this could be a career-defining tour. India can be a challenge but you've got to have a really positive attitude and believe that you can have an impact and more often than not, you can.
"All us cricket tragics and fans should be pretty excited about this group of players, I know I'm excited as a cricket fan to see what this group of players can achieve in India."
An 18-player Test squad has been assembled for the Qantas Tour of India in February and March.
Congratulations to everyone selected! https://t.co/3fmCci4d9b
Jason Gillespie was part of Australia's squad that won a Test series in India in 2004, finishing with 20 wickets in four matches at 16.15.