IND vs AUS 2022-23: Australia will have a task against Indin in the four Tests for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Meanwhile, while Cameron Green's fitness issues persist, Adam Gilchrist feels the Kangaroos can make him bat at number six.
Australia is all set to take on India in a four-Test series for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in the sub-continent for a shot at the 2021-22 ICC World Test Championship Final. On Thursday, the opening Test gets underway at the Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) Stadium in Nagpur. However, the visitors continue to complain about all-rounder Cameron Green's fitness.
Green had surgery on his right index finger after getting injured last December during the Boxing Day Test versus South Africa at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). While Australian head coach Andrew McDonald has already confirmed that the medium-pacer would be unable to bowl, legendary former Australian wicketkeeper-opener Adam Gilchrist feels that Green can still make it to the first Test XI and can bat at number six.
"Such is the way of this psyche of the selectors and this team. They'll start with Green at six, assuming he's fully fit and not hindered by that finger injury. That's the nature of this group. They're pretty trusting of each other and keen to back each other in every situation. How he played in Sri Lanka almost looks like Green develops before our eyes every time he plays a game of cricket. I reckon the steps forward he took in Sri Lanka, they'll be hoping he can keep that process going," Gilchrist told SEN Radio.
However, Gilchrist feels that Scot Boland can get the nod for his maiden overseas Test on Green's bowling unavailability alongside skipper-cum-fellow-pacer Pat Cummins. "If it's Boland coming in, I think he's going to be well suited to the setup there with that nagging line attacking the stumps, he hits pads, he hits stumps with the right field and approach," he feels.
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"Between Cummins' skills, Boland's skill, Nathan Lyon, and Lance Morris if they think they need another quick or another spin option. [Mitchell Starc] is a big loss, but you look on the other side of the fence, no Rishabh Pant, no Jasprit Bumrah, they're a couple of key players for India, so it probably all balances out a bit," concluded Gilchrist.