Page 34 - The Indian EYE 021723

SPORTS FEBRUARY 17, 2023 | The Indian Eye 34

AUSTRALIA IN INDIA

Legends Shastri and Chappell

think India heading for

a big win in the series

OUR BUREAU
Nagpur/Mumbai
s India and Australia gear up
for the Border-Gavaskar Tro-
Aphy, former India coach Ravi
Shastri boldly said that India should
look to win the series as they are
playing under the home conditions.

Australia’s Test tour of India

is their first since 2017 when
India won a tight-fought series
2-1. The two most recent Bor-
der-Gavaskar Trophy meetings

between these nations have
both been held in Australia,
with India winning each series
2-1 - in 2018/19 and 2020/21.

The four-match Test series gets
underway in Nagpur on Thursday,
with India facing a number of in-
triguing selection dilemmas. And
according to Shastri, India’s goal in
2023 should not just be to win the se-
ries but also to completely whitewash R Ashwin celebrates a wicket with Ravindra Jadeja during the first day of the first test match between India and Australia, at Vidarbha Cricket
the visitors that are currently ranked Association Stadium, in Nagpur on Thursday (ANI)
first in the ICC Test Rankings.
“India should look to win 4-0,
we’re playing at home. I’m brutal. standing performance in white-ball determine whether or not Gill is in- series that happened in India, and
I’ve been to two tours of Australia, I cricket has enhanced his case for an cluded. there were two openers. And, you
know what’s happened,” Shastri said opening spot in the first Test against “I’d have been watching Gill and know, they wanted to persevere with
in The ICC Review. Australia. KL Rahul very closely in the nets. one. I took over and then I just saw
“My mindset would be, ‘How “Shubman or Rahul depends Very closely. If it’s a hard call; when the form of Shikhar Dhawan in the
can I beat Australia 4-0 if I’m the on the team management, what they I see footwork when I see the timing nets, and he was red-hot straight
coach’, which means day one, I want think. Obviously, you’d want to go as to who is batting better. If it has to after the Champion’s Trophy in En-
a ball to pitch on leg stump and hit with what you’ve been doing in the be Shubman ahead of Rahul, so be gland. So, we picked him and he got
off stump. I want it to rip. If some- past, but form becomes critical. You it. You know, straight. You have to 190 in that game, and the rest is his-
one asks me what kind of pitch? Ex- know, someone’s hitting it real sweet see that. I won’t say that KL Rahul tory,” Shastri added.
pect that. If you lose the toss, expect and it’s coming out of the centre of is the vice-captain so he becomes the The Border-Gavaskar series is
the ball to turn in the first session of the bat. Then, you know, you wake automatic choice,” said the former all set to start on Thursday as Rohit
play. That’s what I want, and take it up, and say, ‘listen’,” Shastri said. India coach. Sharma-led side is eyeing a place in
from there,” he added. Shastri also thinks that if Gill or “It can happen. It happened ICC World Test Championship final
Even if Shubman Gill does not vice-captain KL Rahul seems more once in my tenure when I was a beginning June 7.
move into the middle order, his out- prepared to open the batting should coach in Sri Lanka. There was a Continued on next page... >>

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