Aussie great Adam Gilchrist reckons this Indian team are thoroughly capable of winning Test series Down Under and in South Africa, which they are yet to achieve
Adam Gilchrist during an event at a city hotel yesterday. Pic/Satej Shinde
Adam Gilchrist during an event at a city hotel yesterday. Pic/Satej Shinde
It's an Indian season of Test cricket and while Virat Kohli and Co are already clashing against the second of their four opponents of the season, there remains a burgeoning burden on their shoulders — the overseas record, particularly against Australia and South Africa.
ADVERTISEMENT
From the 11 (lost 8, drawn 3) and six (lost 5, drawn 1) away Test series played against the Aussies and Proteas respectively, India have not managed to register even a single series win.
While winning at home is great, the bruise from an overseas loss hurts deep. However, former Australia wicketkeeper-batsman Adam Gilchrist, an embodiment of a true sportsman, believes there is, “absolutely no reason why India can’t win in Australian and South African type conditions”.
“They’ve got a very good fast bowling contingent, one of the best all-rounders in the world in Ravichandran Ashwin and a very capable batting line-up. I’m not making any predictions about who is going to win where, but there is no reason they can’t be successful elsewhere,” the flap-eared country boy, who bludgeoned 81 on his Test debut, took five catches and a stumping in November 1999, told mid-day yesterday.
Reasoning out why India can turn things around overseas, the 44-year-old glovesman said: “Probably at the forefront of that is the mindset of India’s leader in Test cricket— Virat Kohli. He loves taking on challenges. His style of leadership and passion will go a long way and with this, the team will be able to be successful on foreign soil.”
Gilchrist, the brand ambassador of the University of Wollongong (Australia) was in the city to introduce the latest recipient of the university’s Bradman Foundation Scholarship.
Gilchrist, who was an integral part of the all-conquering Australian side led by Steve Waugh, was a tad disappointed at his country’s recent spate of losses. Australia have not won an Ashes in England since 2011; their last Test series win in India was in 2004-05 and adding to the surmounting problems is a recent 0-3 Test defeat to lower-ranked Sri Lanka which came before the 177-run Test defeat to South Africa in Perth earlier this week. “It was a fantastic Test match by South Africa. There was clearly a 50-50 moment where Australia were either going to fly ahead or South Africa were going to fight back. They (SA) won that moment and then continued to win all the big moments in the game. You can get on top of a team, even really crush them, bury them. In fact in Australia’s last four if not seven Test matches, certainly in every Test in Sri Lanka, they were in the game in the first innings, but were then just blown out of the water. That’s what they would want to look at,” Gilchrist explained.
But the Aussies need not fear, according to one of their finest all-rounders. “I don’t think it has been an abject failure. Clearly, they are a little down on confidence at the moment, but I don’t see it as doom and gloom. Australian cricket in general has always been quite strong and maintained high standards. It’s very easy to judge one team against another team in another era. I don’t like doing that,” Gilchrist asserted.
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
