India vs Australia 2024: KL Rahul could replace Rohit Sharma for 1st Test in Perth
New Delhi: Australia’s Scott Boland has pinpointed Indian batter KL Rahul as a key player to target in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy, aiming to leverage Australia’s bouncy, seam-friendly pitches to his advantage. Though Rahul’s career includes impressive performances, his track record in Australia has been modest, averaging 20.77 across five Tests despite a standout century at the SCG in 2015. With a chance that Indian captain Rohit Sharma may miss the opening Test in Perth for personal reasons, Rahul could step up to strengthen India’s batting lineup.
Looking back on his past matchups with Rahul, Boland shared his confidence in Australia’s strategy to apply early pressure on the Indian batter. “I was lucky to bowl him in a Test, over in India a couple of years ago, but it’ll be nice to play against him in our backyard,” Boland remarked. “He’s a world-class player but someone I think we can get on top of pretty early and hopefully stay on top of him for the majority of the summer.”
Boland’s remarks come as Australia’s selectors closely evaluate their lineup for the home Test series, with fierce competition keeping the race for spots highly competitive. The A-team’s four-day match at the MCG has turned into a key platform for emerging Australian talent. Meanwhile, KL Rahul and reserve wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel have already arrived in Australia with India A, using the opportunity to acclimate to local conditions and gain valuable match practice.
Boland, along with other Australian players, has observed India’s recent 3-0 series loss to New Zealand, though he advised caution in drawing conclusions from it. In that series, India’s pace attack performed strongly in the opening Test, but New Zealand’s spinners dominated the remaining matches. “There’s so much more bounce here, more seam,” Boland noted. “The way they’ll structure their team will be completely different to what you see over in India.”
With most of India’s Test squad lacking extensive match exposure in Australia before the first Test, the team has chosen match simulations over traditional practice games. India’s captain, Rohit Sharma, recently defended this approach, saying, “We feel that rather than having a practice game, the match simulation where the batters can spend more time in the middle and the bowlers can bowl a lot of balls is better.” He added that the squad has been through an intense match schedule and is already in rhythm.
Boland, on the other hand, is prepared to take on a vital supporting role, especially if one of Australia’s frontline bowlers is rested. “The big three getting through the entire home summer last season was an outlier,” he remarked, alluding to the inevitable wear and tear that fast bowlers experience during an extended campaign.