The Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024 is ongoing and is getting the well-deserved hype. And why not? Two top teams of world cricket are fighting for the prestigious BGT trophy, which, for the past few years, has been with India. This shows how some big Indian players have snatched the spotlight from the formidable Australian team. If we see the ongoing IND vs AUS series, in the first Test also, India came out on top against a full-fledged Australian team and won the clash by 295 runs. They will now look to do something similar in the Adelaide Test as well.
However, if we look closely, there are a few names in the Indian camp who might be playing their last BGT series in Australia. Although nothing is confirmed, if we closely observe and consider what’s next for India in Test cricket, we’ll surely see Australia coming to India for the BGT series. But when it comes to touring Australia, India usually goes there every two years for the BGT series. So, there are some players who might be playing this prestigious series in Australia for the last time. But who are those players? Let’s take a look at three quality names.
India players who might be playing their last BGT series in Australia
Rohit Sharma
Currently leading the Indian camp after missing the first match of the BGT, Rohit Sharma is the first name that might be playing his last Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. There’s no denying that this legendary captain, who retired from the shorter format of the game after leading India to a T20 World Cup victory, may consider stepping away from the red-ball format as well. His recent form hasn’t been very promising, and with the next BGT series in Australia likely to take place after two years, we might witness significant changes in the team, potentially with new players filling the slots and replacing Rohit Sharma.
Virat Kohli
With 14 games and more than 1,400 runs, averaging around 54, this is what Virat Kohli has achieved in Australia, and he is popularly known as the King of Australia. His first Test century came in Australia in 2012, and since then, there has been no looking back. Recently, in the Perth Test, he smashed a century. Not to forget, he was the captain of the Indian team in the 2018-19 series, leading them to their first-ever series win in Australia. He also captained the team in the 2020-21 tour before stepping down for personal reasons.
But now, things look difficult for Virat Kohli. In recent years, he is certainly not at his peak, and with many new players coming in and showing their class, we may see a turnaround in the near future. Kohli, known for giving chances to youngsters, and we have seen how he announced his retirement from the shorter format of the game after T20 World Cup 2024 win, making way for the next generation. This champion player may follow a similar path in Test cricket as well. It will be interesting to see what this one of the fittest cricketers does in the upcoming Test clashes.
R Ashwin
Well, it’s not getting loud, but there are murmurs all over that this ongoing BGT series could be his last tour abroad. This veteran has served Indian cricket for many years, but he is now surely inching towards the end of his illustrious career, which includes thousands of laurels and 536 wickets in Tests, consistently showing why he is one of the greats of the game. Currently, Ashwin is 38 years old, and as mentioned, the next Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia will take place after two long years, which clearly indicates that Ashwin may not travel to Australia for the next BGT. But as the saying goes, spinners get better no matter how much they age, so there will be surprises we may expect from the selectors.
