Three Indian players to watch out for in Border Gavaskar Trophy 2020-21
India will be looking to retain the Border Gavaskar Trophy when they take on Australia in the four-match Test series, starting from 17th December at Adelaide.
The visitors have suffered setback as captain and premier batsman Virat Kohli will only play the opening Test at Adelaide. He will not be available as he fly to India to be with his wife for the birth of their first child.
Uncapped Shubnam Gill, Prithvi Shaw and Hanuma Vihari are players included in the Test squad to bolster the batting resources for India for the four-match Test series. The big positive for India is Vice-captain Rohit Sharma fully recovering from hamstring injury and will be available for selection for the Test series.
Uncapped pacers Navdeep Saini and Mohammed Siraj have earned their maiden call-ups to the Test squad to fill void the left by Ishant Sharma, who miss this series due to injury.
Here, we look at three Indians players to watch out for in the Border Gavaskar Trophy who can help them win four-match Test series.
Cheteshwar Pujara
With Virat Kohli set to miss the most of the Test series, the responsibility will be on the shoulders of Cheteshwar Pujara to deliver the bulk of the runs. Pujara has been a consistent performer for the side in red-ball cricket and is one of mainstays for India in the batting department.
The 32-year old has a prolific record in the five-day format while playing for India as he has scored 5840 runs in 77 Test matches at an outstanding average of 48.66 with 18 centuries and 25 fifties to his name.
In 2018, Pujara was the standout performer with the bat for India and helped the side win their maiden Test series in Australia. In four matches played, Pujara accumulated 521 runs at an average of 74.42 with three centuries to his name.
Pujara will take heart from the fact that he has done well for India in tough conditions in Australia..
Mayank Agarwal
Opener has put in impressive numbers for India in red-ball cricket since making his debut against Australia at Melbourne Cricket Ground in 2018. Mayank Agarwal has shown excellent technique and temperament during the past 12 months.
Since November 2018, Mayank Agarwal has topped the batting charts for India in Test cricket. In 11 matches played, Agarwal has accumulated 974 runs at an average of 57.29 with four centuries and four half-centuries to his name.
The 29-year old will be looking to get India off to good starts in the upcoming four-match Test series.
Mohammad Shami
There is no doubt that Mohammad Shami has been standout performer for India in red-ball cricket. On his previous trip to Australia, Shami bowled exceedingly well and formed a lethal new-ball combination with Jaspreet Bumrah to help India win their historic first-ever series win in Australia.
In Border Gavaskar Trophy 2018-19, Mohammad Shami claimed 16 wickets in four matches at an average of 26.18 with one five-wicket hauls to his name.
Since November 2018, Mohammad Shami has topped the bowling charts for India in Test cricket. He has claimed 52 wickets in 13 Test matches at an average of 20.96 with two five-fors to his name.
Pacer Mohammad Shami will be determined to continue his excellent form with the new-ball in this four-match Test series.
