Mumbai-All Rounder Likely To Replace R. Ashwin In India’s Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024 Squad Ahead of Boxing Day Test At MCG

Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024: There have been a lot of twists and turns in the ongoing IND vs AUS Test series. The current edition of the BGT includes five Test matches unlike the traditional four Test matches format. The series is evenly poised at both the teams winning one match each and third one ending in a draw. The bandwagon of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy now moves to the Melbourne Cricket Ground where the 4th IND vs AUS Test match will be played.

After the culmination of the Gabba Test match, R. Ashwin announced his retirement from international cricket. The timing of Ashwin’s announcement to retire came as a shock for many Indian cricket fans and the experts of the sport. Rohit Sharma, while attending the post match press conference at the Gabba said that the ace India spinner wanted to announce his retirement even before the Pink Ball Test match, but he had to be persuaded to stay on. Ashwin bid goodbye to international cricket with 537 Test wickets.

R. Ashwin’s retirement has created a huge void in the Indian cricket team as far as Test cricket is concerned. The Chennai Super Kings star holds the record for winning most Player of the Tournament awards. Ashwin not only won India matches with the ball in his hands, but also with his batting skills. Washington Sundar has been a like-to-like replacement for Ravichandran Ashwin, but India have decided to rope in Mumbai all-rounder Tanush Kotian as a cover for Sundar.

According to a report published in Sportstar, Kotian will jet off to Australia before the start of the Boxing Day Test match. Kotian bowls off-spin and on several occasions has also been handy with the bat in domestic circuits. The spinning all-rounder was also a part of the India A squad that toured Australia before the start of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series.

With the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series perfectly evened out at 1-1 so far, the Boxing Day Test match holds a greater significance as far as the IND vs AUS Test series is concerned. The fourth Test match of the series will be played at the MCG where Australia have always been dominating. Australia have played a total of 116 Test matches in Melbourne, they have won 67, lost 32 and a total of 17 matches have ended in a draw.