[ad_1]
Indian batting legends Virat Kohli and Australia’s steve smith they will be very anxious to assert their authority Upcoming Border-Gavaskar Series Australia great Matthew Hayden believes scoring runs in this match will be “very expensive”.
Hayden, regarded as one of the best openers of his era, said both Kohli and Smith like to dominate in their own way and it will be up to the two to decide how the series progresses.
Also read:Nathan Lyon seeks ‘inputs’ from English spinner Hartley to tame Yashasvi Jaiswal
“Cricket is a game of speed and I’m sure both those players, who are now in the twilight of their cricket careers, will be very keen to dominate the field in the summer,” Hayden said at the CEAT Cricket Rating Awards on Wednesday (August 21, 2024).
“That’s their flair. They do it in very different ways, very different styles, but of course, they’re really the key to the Australian summer,” he said.
India and Australia will play a five-Test series for the first time since 1991-92, starting in Perth on November 22 and Hayden said it would be hard to say which team has the edge.
Also read: Cummins takes eight-week break with eyes on Border-Gavaskar Trophy
“You look at the lineup, and it’s hard to tell who is on the edge. I think the difference will be runs. Players who were definitely worth playing have retired, like (Cheteshwar) Pujara was definitely worth playing in Australian conditions,” he said.
“Was he exciting? No. Was he effective? Absolutely, yes. When you look at the last few years, players like Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman… they were definitely a bet in our market. This series needs the best performances, runs are going to be plentiful,” he said.
Hayden said the Australian players would be keen to put an end to their poor run against India, having last won a bilateral series in 2014-15.
“We haven’t been able to lift the trophy for two series in Australia, which is a hallowed ground in a way. It’s not like the Steve Waugh era in 2001 when it was hallowed ground, it was a place Australia really wanted to come and win,” he said.
“And their great era didn’t do that. The World Test Championship is always a great opportunity for the No. 1 (and) No. 2 teams to go head to head, especially in each other’s camps overseas and see who really has the final word…
“…not only claiming the possibility of playing the (World) Test Championship (final) but also who is the best of the best, which you assess on the basis of your tour and not on the basis of playing at home,” he said.
Nathan Lyon vs Yashasvi Jaiswal
Nathan Lyon has his eyes set on young batsman Yashasvi Jaiswal, to which Hayden said it is the right move as the opener is proving himself to be an ‘asset’ for Indian cricket.
“Isn’t it great that this series is being treated like a heavyweight contest, someone as great as that (Lyon) is going after Jaiswal, who in my opinion is important for Indian cricket. Yes, he is certainly proving to be that,” he said.
Hayden said although Jaiswal’s ability to hit shots over covers is special, he will have to make adjustments to it considering the length of boundaries in Australia.
Hayden said, “Young Jaiswal is an exciting player, it will be interesting to see how he plays. He is a package. His ability to come up through the covers is amazing. There are some shortcomings in that too.”
“I am looking forward to seeing how he adjusts to bouncy pitches. We saw in the IPL that he hits the ball really hard, especially the pull shot, but he will be challenged by three world-class fast bowlers, provided they are all fit and play on big grounds.
“The ball needs almost perfect contact to hit a six, so that you get caught easily, inside the three-quarter fence. They all have to make slight adjustments, which a world-class player like Jazzy (Jaiswal) will definitely do,” he said.
Australia will miss Warner
Hayden said Australia would miss David Warner, who announced his retirement from international cricket in July.
He said, “For the first time, it (the opening slot) doesn’t look that safe. David Warner has given a great service to Australian cricket. He gave a service that was extremely competitive and brilliant.”
“He really took the legacy that I built in the 2000s to a whole new level, with a strike rate of over 80, and giving really good momentum to the top order, which is otherwise quite conservative. His departure is a huge loss in terms of how you can replace him,” Hayden said.
Hayden said he had doubts about Smith emerging as an opener. Smith has played at No. 4 for most of his career but was moved to the opening slot after Warner retired from Test cricket.
He said, “I have said before that I don’t like change. I think it’s crazy to think that you have the best batsman in the world in a certain position and then you come to a completely different position.”
[ad_2]
Source link