As the Indian cricket team gears up for their upcoming five-match Border-Gavaskar Test series against Australia, there is a strong expectation for India to continue their successful streak. The Men in Blue haven't lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy since the 2014-15 series and secured the trophy during their last two tours of Australia in 2018-19 and 2020-21.
With the return of Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane, who have been sidelined for a while, appearing unlikely, the focus shifts to identifying potential replacements for these key players in India's playing eleven for IND vs AUS Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
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When Dinesh Karthik was asked who could replace Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar series between India and Australia, he named Shubman Gill and Sarfaraz Khan as their potential replacements.
"Shubman Gill and Sarfaraz Khan. Both of those batters have done really well against England in the home series that recently happened at the start of the year. I have a feeling both of them will definitely be on that flight to Australia and will be trying to do their best. We will know if they’re able to replace both Ajinkya and Pujji (Pujara). Big shoes to fill, but they have the quality and calibre in them," Karthik said on HeyCB with DK show on Cricbuzz.
Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara have been out of Team India for a considerable time, and given the impressive performances of younger players recently, a return for these experienced players seems unlikely.
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Shubman Gill, who has played 25 Test matches, has accumulated 1,492 runs at an average of 35.52, including 4 centuries and 6 half-centuries. On the other hand, Sarfaraz Khan has featured in 3 Test matches, scoring 200 runs.