Last Updated on 4 weeks by Charbel Coorey
Former Australia captain Tim Paine has pinpointed Cheteshwar Pujara as the key to India’s successes in the 2018/19 and 2020/21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) showdowns down under.
Pujara’s exclusion from India’s 2024/25 BGT squad can be a welcome sight for Australia. He thwarted Australia’s attack in both series, while enabling his teammates – most notably Rishabh Pant – to play with total freedom.
India went on to win both campaigns 2-1. They were utterly dominant in 2018/19, with Pujara hitting three centuries and scoring 521 runs. Pujara was not as prolific in 2020/21 (271 runs), but he still contributed to keeping Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon at bay.
In the SCG Test, Pujara batted 205 balls for his 77 to help India seal a draw. At the Gabba, he wore blow after blow in the famous run chase, holding the fort for 211 balls. In the end, the Australian bowlers had very little left in the tank as Rishabh Pant hit the winning runs in an unbelievable, matchwinning 89*.
The guy who won the series was Pujara – Tim Paine
In an interview with The Grade Cricketer, Paine said that Pant got much of the plaudits, but it was Pujara who enabled it. “Pujara faced 928 balls in the [2020/21] series which is the most by any batter in the series,” Paine said.
“What I do remember, a lot of people talk about Rishabh Pant in the last series in Australia, but the guy who won the series was Pujara.”
India’s number three faced a mammoth 2,216 deliveries across both series. Ahead of the 2024/25 series, there are huge question marks of the Indian batting lineup following their shocking 3-0 loss at home to New Zealand. Also, there have been numerous batting collapses in recent years.
The spotlight is on Shubman Gill, who is now India’s number three, to have a big campaign. But, India need much more from Virat Kohli. Since the start of 2020, Kohli has scored 1,838 Test runs at an average of just 31.70, with two centuries in 60 innings. His average has dropped from 55 to below 48. Rohit Sharma, who is averaging 29.4 this year, also needs to step up.
Batting for long periods may be crucial in deciding who wins the 2024/25 BGT series. Australia have their own batting concerns, but how well can India replace a player who had such an impact as Pujara did? Time will tell.
