Basit Ali dismisses Ravi Shastri's bold prediction for Border-Gavaskar Trophy with 'creating hype' statement

Former Pakistan National Cricket Team cricketer Basit Ali reacted to Ravi Shastri's prediction for the upcoming Test series between the India National Cricket Team and the Australia National Cricket Team. He said that he is trying to create hype ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

The countdown for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2025 has begun as the series between India and Australia is less than 100 days away now. The two teams will be clashing with each other in the five-match Test series, which will be played over the two months.

The Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2025 will kick start at the Optus Stadium in Perth on 22nd November. The second game between India and Australia will be a day and night fixture that will be played in Adelaide from 6th December.

The third Test is scheduled to take place at the Gabba in Brisbane from 14th December followed by the Boxing Day Test at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) from 26th December. The last match will be played in Sydney from 3rd January.

The series has always invited banters between the fans and predictions from the experts. Recently, former India head coach Ravi Shastri gave his take on the same. The reputed commentator stated that the India National Cricket Team will complete a hat-trick of wins down under.

Basit Ali, however, wasn't impressed with Ravi Shastri's prediction, saying that experts will keep making predictions to create hype. He also was of the opinion that the India vs Australia rivalry cannot be of the same intensity as that of India vs Pakistan. Speaking in a video posted on his YouTube channel, he explained:

"I think they are trying to create hype. The whole world knows that India vs Pakistan is on one side and everything else is on the other side. Even Ashes isn't that big. So, you are going to hear such statements now," said Basit Ali.

India in their last two tours have been sensational in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. They have won two back-to-back series in Australia. The Rohit Sharma-led side would be keen to have a similar kind of result this time around.

You will know whether the India-Australia series is bigger or the India-Pakistan match is bigger - Basit Ali wants a hockey series between two arch-rivals if not cricket

Basit Ali further claimed that the India team have made it clear that they won't be traveling to Pakistan. But made a bold statement, saying that even if two arch-rivals compete in hockey or other sports, it will be more interesting than India vs Australia. He explained:

"Arshad Nadeem beat Neeraj Chopra at the Paris Olympics, otherwise, it was a certain gold medal for India. The Indian cricket team has made it clear that they won't travel to Pakistan, so just conduct a bilateral series of hockey, javelin, or kabaddi between India and Pakistan in some other country and you will know whether the India-Australia series is bigger or the India-Pakistan match is bigger.

"When Neeraj and Arshdad compete in javelin, the whole world will be in front of the television and the stadium will be full," Basit Ali concluded.