The Indian Cricket Team created history by winning their second successive Test series on Australian soil during the 2020/21 season. It was a historic performance by Men in Blue side after losing the first Test match at Adelaide Oval, Adelaide being bowled out for just 36 runs.
There were some great performances from the 2nd Test match as they stunned Australia by 8 wickets at MCG. Thanks to Ashwin’s and Vihari’s brilliance, India drew the 3rd Test match at SCG. It was a remarkable performance by Gill and Co to chase down massive target of 328 on the final day at Gabba, Brisbane to register 3 wicket win.
India began the 2023 Border Gavaskar on an emphatic note registering innings and 132 run win at VCA Stadium, Nagpur.
Here we look at the 5 Indian heroes missing from the last Border Gavaskar series:
Ajinkya Rahane
Ajinkya Rahane was appointed the captain for the next three Test matches after Virat Kohli left the squad for personal reasons. He led from the front with captaincy and also proved his worth with a match-defining century in the 1st innings to help Team India take the lead.
Chasing down 328 runs on the final day, Rahane scored quickfire runs to help Team India change the momentum of innings. Indian team won the match by 3 wickets as Rahane proved his worth as a captain and batter.
Rahane led Mumbai in the 2022/23 Ranji Trophy season. Rahane scored 634 runs from 7 matches ( 11 innings) with 2 centuries and 1 half-century to his name with the best score of 204. He has been dropped from the Test squad.
Mayank Agarwal
Mayank Agarwal was a part of the Indian squad. He struggled in the two matches he played for Team India in the historic Test series. Mayank opened the innings for India in the 2nd Test match at MCG and went cheaply in both innings.
He was dropped from the Third Test match at Sydney Cricket Ground. Due to injuries, Mayank Agarwal was again selected in the fourth Test. He came in the middle order but could not contribute many runs.
Mayank Agarwal is the leading run-getter in the 2022/23 Ranji Trophy season. Playing for Karnataka, he scored 990 runs from 9 matches ( 13 innings) with the best score of 249 runs in the 1st innings of the Semi-finals against Saurashtra. Despite his innings, Karnataka failed to qualify for the finals.
During this remarkable season, Mayank hit 3 centuries and 6 half-centuries to his name at an average of 82.50.
T Natarajan
T Natarajan was selected as the net bowler for the Australian tour. With many top bowlers injured during the tour, the left-arm pacer was given a chance to debut in the fourth Test match at Gabba.
He looked impressive picking up 3 wickets in the first innings getting rid of Labuschagne, Wade, and Hazlewood. Natarajan was not able to pick any wicket in 2nd innings.
He featured for Tamil Nadu in the 2022/23 Syed Mushtaq season against Chandigarh. During that match, Natarajan grabbed 2 wickets for 11 runs.
Natarajan has played 2 One-day internationals and 4 T20I matches for Team India. Due to injuries, he could not be a regular part of the Indian team.
Navdeep Saini
Navdeep Saini was included in the playing XI for the 3rd Test match at SCG. He took his maiden Test wicket getting rid of Polovski. He picked up 2 wickets giving away 65 runs in 13 overs.
Saini did not look comfortable with his injury but picked up 2 wickets again in the 2nd innings. He was again included in the playing XI for the 4th Test. Saini struggled with his fitness going off the field. Saini came to run with a groin injury and struggled with that but did the job.
Saini did not play many matches for Delhi in Ranji Trophy 2022/23 season. He would be looking to perform well in the upcoming IPL season.
Rishabh Pant
The left-handed-explosive batter Rishabh Pant played a major role in helping Team India register a win in the final Test match at Gabba. Before this match, he put up a brilliant partnership with Pujara in the fourth innings of the Sydney Test. He fell short of a century by 3 runs and kept India’s hopes alive.
He played a match-winning knock of 89 not out in the 4th innings and hit the winning runs helping Team India register a famous win. Pant is currently recovering from a car accident on December 30, 2022. He is likely to miss the whole of IPL 2023 for Delhi Capitals and could be side-lined.
Pant was named the player of the match for his brilliant knock. He changed the fortune of the Indian team after coming into the team in 2nd match at MCG.
Shardul Thakur and Washington Sundar also played important roles in helping Team India win the series. Both are in contention for a place while others are not.
Get the latest cricket news here, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more such updates.
