There is a lot of speculation about the changes in India's line-up for the must-win Boxing Day Test of the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia on December 26 at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in Melbourne.
As the teams prepare for the crucial fourth Test in Melbourne, the Indian cricket team faces a major selection dilemma in terms of squad, especially since Ravichandran Ashwin is out of the draw for the Gabba Test Later unexpectedly retired from international cricket.
With the 1-1 draw in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 underway, there are bound to be changes in India's XI and there are even talks that young bowling all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy might be dropped Removed from the team to bring in new opportunities.
Sunil Gavaskar backs Nitish Kumar Reddy to retain Boxing Day Test berth
Media reports suggest that both Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar will be available for the Boxing Day Test; hence, Nitish Kumar Reddy will have to make way for the Tamil Nadu star, but legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar feels it will be a big mistake if the team management accepts this decision.
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The former India captain is convinced that Nitish Kumar Reddy should be in the starting XI for India's Boxing Day Test match against Australia. Gavaskar feels that Reddy, as the fourth seamer, is crucial to the balance of the Indian cricket team and cannot be left out of the XI.
The legendary India batsman also highlighted India's inability to play a must-win Test match in the ongoing five-match Test series with just two pacers and predicted what the Gabba Test line-up should be like in Melbourne. remain unchanged.
They can't drop Nitish Kumar Reddy: Sunil Gavaskar
“They can't drop Nitish Kumar Reddy,” Sunil Gavaskar said on Star Sports ahead of the fourth Test at the MCG. “He can't drop Nitish Kumar Reddy.” It's the fourth seamer. I don't think India has just two pacers and Nitish is pretty much the XI that's playing in Melbourne.
Meanwhile, Sunil Gavaskar also declined to replace Akash Deep with Harshit Rana for the crucial fourth Test against Australia at the MCG Sai’s thoughts.
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However, Akash Deep's bowling in Brisbane was not stellar, with just 3/123, but he scored 31 runs off 44 balls in the 11th over, which was crucial in helping India avoid the follow-on match and win the third over The draw with Australia in the Test was crucial.
Harshit Rana unlikely to replace Akash Deep: Sunil Gavaskar
The legendary batsman feels that Harshit Rana is unlikely to replace Akash Deep, especially after the pacer played a key role in the subsequent matches. He saw no point in giving up Akash. Gavaskar concluded by saying, “Harshit is unlikely to replace Akash Deep. Why would you give up on someone who has saved your team from being followed?
Additionally, the Indian team is also considering changing the top order for the upcoming Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Rohit Sharma is likely to return to the slot while KL Rahul is likely to move up to No. 3 with Shubman Gill in Australia with the bat faced the fate of being cut off during the struggle.
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