New Delhi:

Former Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, speaking at NDTV’s Samvidhan @ 75 event, revealed his enduring love for cricket. Mr Chandrachud, who retired recently as the 50th Chief Justice of India, said that even though his schedule does not allow him, he tries his best to follow Indian cricket as much as he can. 

“My favorite game is, of course, cricket,” Mr Chandrachud said. “But I do not get the time to play. Also, I have become a bit old to play cricket these days.”

Mr Chandrachud confessed to following the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test series between India and Australia closely, albeit in bite-sized formats. 

“I don’t get to see the live broadcast, but I watch the 5-7 minute highlights every night to see how Virat Kohli has played, how Ravichandran Ashwin has bowled, or if Jasprit Bumrah has bowled well or not. Bumrah had bowled really well at Perth,” he noted, reminiscing about Bumrah’s match-winning five-wicket haul that skittled Australia for 104 in the first Test at Perth. 

When pressed about his favourite cricketers, Mr Chandrachud named Jasprit Bumrah and Virat Kohli among the current players. “Among previous cricketers, I am a fan of Rahul Dravid – always stable, always solid,” he said.

Mr Chandrachud was succeeded by Sanjiv Khanna as the Chief Justice of India on November 10. During his time in the Supreme Court, he delivered over 500 judgments and sat on 38 Constitution benches, delivering verdicts on issues ranging from the Ayodhya land dispute to the abrogation of Article 370 and the decriminalisation of consensual same-sex relationships.

Star batter Marnus Labuschagne reckons fast bowlers make India a “difficult” side to beat in Australian conditions. File
| Photo Credit: AP

Star batter Marnus Labuschagne reckons fast bowlers make India a “difficult” side to beat in Australian conditions as the hosts look to end their barren run in Border-Gavaskar Trophy which has lasted nearly a decade.

India has won every bilateral Test series against Australia since losing 1-2 in an away affair in 2014-15. They have recorded identical 2-1 series wins in 2018-19 and 2020-21 Down Under to remain on top.

“India’s fast bowling is very good, which is really what brings them in Australian conditions and make them such a tough team to beat in Australian conditions,” Labuschagne told Star Sports.

The middle-order mainstay termed the rivalry as ‘tough’ irrespective of where they are playing.

“There is always high anticipation. To these two teams, it doesn’t matter where we’re playing, if it’s in England, Australia, or India, it’s always a tough contest,” he said.

Australia spinner Nathan Lyon termed Indian players “superstars” while hoping to revive his on-field rivalry with India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin.

“I’ve always said throughout my whole career (that) I want to compete against the best and you look through the whole Indian line-up, the whole squad, there’s absolute superstars everywhere,” he said.

“I know Ashwin, we debuted around similar times and we’ve competed against each other in a number of series. I have got nothing but respect for him. He is an absolute master in the craft of off-spin bowling and it’s been an absolute privilege to play against him and learn off him,” said Lyon.

All-rounder Cameron Green reckoned the five-Test series between India and Australia starting on November 22 at Perth could be a “preview” for the final of the World Test Championship next year.

India lead the WTC table for the 2023-25 cycle with 68.52 percentage points and 74 points, followed by Australia with 62.50 percentage points and 90 points.

The WTC final will be played at Lord’s from June 11-15 next year and could feature both the current top two teams once again.

India have featured in the summit clashes of the WTC on both occasions but have lost to New Zealand (2019-21) and Australia (2021-23).

“Every single point is pretty crucial for the World Test Championship. Anyway you can kind of (or) get an idea of (to) how to get one up on your opponent, we’ll try and take,” Green said.

“If it is a bit of a preview for a World Test Championship final again, yeah, we’ve been trying to get as much information out of India and see how we can win it again,” he added.

Kuldeep Yadav has revealed that the death of Australian legend Shane Warne two years ago felt like the loss of a family member to him. File
| Photo Credit: PTI

Indian wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav has revealed that the death of Australian legend Shane Warne two years ago felt like the loss of a family member to him as he always believed that there was a strong connection between them.

Kuldeep, who is on a short family trip in Australia, visited the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), the home ground of his “idol” where he posed for a photo with Warne’s statue outside the stadium.

“Shane Warne was my idol, and I had a very strong connection with him. I still get emotional when I think about Warnie — it feels like I’ve lost someone from my family,” Kuldeep said.

He, however, did not elaborate on his equation with the legend, who died of a cardiac arrest while on a holiday in Thailand in 2022.

The T20 World Cup-winning cricketer’s trip Down Under comes just a few months before the Border Gavaskar Trophy, which is scheduled to begin on November 22 in Perth.

“I am looking forward to the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, and we’re anticipating a great cricket contest between Australia and India this year,” he said.

Kuldeep, who has had an excellent couple of years since making his comeback from the knee injury, also visited the Cricket Australia (CA) headquarters and had an online interaction CEO Nick Hockley.

He also acknowledged the unwavering support of Indian cricket fans.

“India cricket fans always support the team around the globe, and I am confident they will come in big numbers for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, especially during the Boxing Day Test,” Kuldeep said.

The MCG will host the Boxing Day Test from December 26.

Indian batting stalwart Virat Kohli and Australia’s Steve Smith would be more than keen to stamp their authority in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar series in which runs would be “at a premium”, feels Australian great Matthew Hayden.

Hayden, considered one of the best openers of his era, opined that both Kohli and Smith like to dominate in their own ways and will hold the key to how the series pans out Down Under.

Also Read:Nathan Lyon seeks English spinner Hartley’s ‘inputs’ to tame Yashasvi Jaiswal

“Cricket is a game of momentum and I’m sure those two players, coming now to the later pages of their cricketing careers, will be very keen to dominate the landscape through the summer,” Hayden said on the sidelines of the Ceat Cricket Rating Awards on Wednesday (August 21, 2024).

“That’s their nature. They do it in very different ways, very different styles, but certainly, they really are 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 November 22 at Perth, and Hayden said it will be hard to pick which team has the edge.

Also Read: Border-Gavaskar Trophy in sight, Cummins takes eight-week break

“You look at the lineups, and it’s hard to really tell who has the edge. I sense that it’s going to be runs that are going to be the point of difference. Guys that are sure bets have retired like (Cheteshwar) Pujara was a sure bet in Australian conditions,” he said.

“Was he exciting? No. Was he effective? Heck, yes. When you look back over the years, guys like Raul Dravid, VVS Laxman… they were really sure bets in our market. The best need to stand up in this series, runs are going to be at a premium,” he said.

Hayden said Australian players will be eager to end their barren run against India, having last won a bilateral series in 2014-15.

“We haven’t had it (the trophy) in our hands for two series in Australia, which is kind of the coveted grounds. Not that’s similar to the Steve Waugh era here in 2001, where this was the hallowed turf, this was a place where Australia really wanted to come and win,” he said.

“And his great era didn’t do it. There’s always this fantastic opportunity for the No. 1 (and) No. 2 sides on the World Test Championship to go head to head, especially abroad in each other’s camps and see who really has those kinds of final rights…

“…to claim not only the possibility of playing the (World) Test Championship (final) but also who’s the very best of the best, which you judge on how you tour, not so much how you play at home,” he said.

Nathan Lyon vs Yashasvi Jaiswal

With Nathan Lyon setting his sights on dominating young gun Yashasvi Jaiswal, Hayden said it was the right move given the opening batter is proving himself to be an ‘asset’ for Indian cricket.

“Isn’t it great that the series is shaping up the bare-heavyweight bout, someone like the GOAT (Lyon) going after (Jaiswal), what is in my opinion one of the key assets for Indian cricket. Yes he’s certainly proving to be that,” he said.

Hayden said while Jaiswal’s ability to hit on the up through covers is special, he will have to adjust given the length of the boundaries in Australia.

“Young Jaiswal is an exciting prospect to see how he’ll play. He is a package. His ability in particular to get on the up through the covers is phenomenal. That’ll also have its vulnerabilities,” Hayden said.

“I’m looking forward to seeing how he adjusts on bouncy tracks. We did notice in the IPL that he’s a very hard hitter of the ball, pull shots in particular, but that’ll be challenged by three world-class speedsters, assuming they’re all fit and on much bigger grounds.

“It has to almost be the perfect contact for that ball to sail over (for a) six so you can get caught easily, three-quarters of the way in the fence. They (all) have little adjustments that world-class players like Jazzy (Jaiswal) will make for sure,” he said.

Australia will miss Warner

Hayden said Australia will miss David Warner, who announced his retirement from international cricket in July.

“For the first time, it (opening slot) doesn’t feel as secure. David Warner gave a great service to Australian cricket. He gave a service that was extremely competitive, wonderfully dynamic,” he said.

“He really took that legacy that I’d created through the 2000s to a new level, strike rates in excess of 80, and gave great momentum to the top order, which otherwise is quite conservative. He’s an enormous loss in terms of how do you replace him,” Hayden added.

Hayden said had reservations about Smith emerging as a choice for the opener’s slot. Smith has played at the No. 4 slot for a majority of his career but was moved to the opening slot after Warner’s retirement from Test cricket.

“I was on record saying that I didn’t like changing. I think it’s crazy to think that you have the world’s best-in-class batter in a certain position and then you change to a completely different position,” he said.

Ravi Shastri noted that the team has got the likes of (Ravichandran) Ashwin and (Ravindra) Jadeja, as well as some very good bench strength. File
| Photo Credit: PTI

India is capable of a hat-trick of Test series triumphs in Australia given the quality of its bowlers and the strong batting lineup that has the likes of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, feels former head coach Ravi Shastri.

India have won the last two Test series in Australia and has held onto the prestigious Border-Gavaskar Trophy since the Kangaroos claimed a 2-0 series victory on home soil at the beginning of 2015.

Also Read: Border-Gavaskar Trophy between India and Australia extended to 5 Tests

“With (Jasprit) Bumrah fit, (Mohammed) Shami fit, you’ve got Mohammed Siraj there. You’ve got the likes of (Ravichandran) Ashwin and (Ravindra) Jadeja, as well as some very good bench strength. One can’t wait for that series to start and (I think) India can do the hat-trick (of series victories in Australia),” Shastri told ICC.

Australia legend Ricky Ponting had recently predicted a 3-1 series win for his country but Shastri said that Indian bowlers can get the job done provided their batters are up to the challenge.

“It is going to be one heck of a series and India have every chance of making it a hat-trick because they’ve got their bowlers fit and if they can bat well, they can tickle (beat) Australia once again,” said Shastri.

India will play a five-match series Down Under beginning with the Test at Perth in November this year.

The Pat Cummins-led Australia are upbeat after they exacted sweet revenge over Rohit Sharma’s side during the World Test Championship final at The Oval last year, and Shastri feels that a hurting home side would be more than keen to re-claim the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

“The Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia over five Test matches is going to be a humdinger.

“Remember, India have beaten Australia twice on the last two tours and Australia have not had a hand on the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in almost a decade and that’s the reason why everyone will be waiting for these two heavyweights of Test match cricket over the last five to eight years to go head-to-head,” added Shastri.

With Australia too boasting a strong bowling line-up, Shastri feels that revenge will be on the home team’s mind because of successive series losses they have suffered in the last two editions.

“We know what Australia will be wanting (revenge). They will be thirsty, they’d be looking to go at the throats of the Indians because they’ve been beaten there (in Australia) twice.

“The attack is pretty much the same. One of the greatest fast bowling attacks – (one of the greatest) all-round attacks when you add Nathan Lyon there – in a long, long time. And one of the best in the history of the game. They’ll be looking for those 20 wickets, game after game to help Australia win the series.” “It’s going to be India’s batting against the Australian fast bowlers. And of course, the Indian bowling attack is going to be something everyone will be waiting to see,” he added.