The Indian cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar wants star spin bowler Ravichandran Ashwin to get into a psychological battle with Australian batter Steve Smith ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.
The mind games for this eagerly awaited Test series between Australia and India have already started with some former players taking jabs at each other’s teams.
Sunil Gavaskar believes that the five home Tests against Bangladesh and New Zealand will be crucial for India to prepare mentally for the challenging tour of Australia later this year. He noted the mind games that have already started among former players from both countries.
“The five Test matches that India play (at home) before they go to Australia will be good for the mental tuning that is required for a tough tour like that,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for Mid-Day.
“Already the mind games have begun with Australian players both current and former airing their views about what the result would be. While they (Australia) are not making Glenn McGrath-like statements of a clean sweep they are still suggesting that Australia will prevail,” he added.
Gavaskar’s Advice for Ashwin
Gavaskar lamented that no former India player, other than Ravi Shastri, has responded to the Australian players’ mind games. He suggested that Ravichandran Ashwin should also join in.
“Sadly, apart from Ravi Shastri no other former or current player has seen to counter the mind games which the Aussies are so good at. Maybe Ravichandran Ashwin should start telling us about a special delivery that he is developing for Steve Smith, that is of course if he continues to open the batting and can survive Jasprit Bumrah,” Gavaskar wrote.
Ravichandran Ashwin’s role will be vital in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. The series will feature five Tests- starting in November in Perth and continuing until early January with the final Test taking place in Sydney.
