Won't Be Easy For India To Win In Australia This Time, Says Sunil Gavaskar

When India toured Australia last time for a Test series, they created history. Virat Kohli led India to a historic 2-1 win in the series. It was the first Test series win for India on the Australian soil. The series win ended India’s long and painful wait of 71 years to win a series on the Australian soil.

Virat Kohli and co kicked off the series with a 31-run victory over the hosts in Adelaide. The hosts then bounced back with a 146-run victory in the second Test in Perth before the visitors won the third one at the MCG to take an unassailable lead. India would have won the fourth game too but persistent rain saw the home side escape with a draw.

India will have a chance to extend their recent dominance over Australia when they tour Down Under once again later this year. However, former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar believes that the Virat Kohli-led side will face a much difficult task this time around.

Sunil Gavaskar said that the hosts will be a different side this time because of the presence of their star players Steve Smith and David Warner. Both the players were not a part of the last series because they were serving the ban imposed on them for the ball-tampering scandal.

“I think there will be some changes in Team India this time. There will be bounce on the pitch but batting won’t be difficult after few overs with the new ball. With Steve Smith and David Warner in the side, surely, it won’t be easy for India to win. Australian batsmen will also do homework on Jasprit Bumrah and others,” Sunil Gavaskar told Dainik Jagran.

Smith and Warner made their return in Test cricket through the Ashes last year and the former took the series by storm. Smith announced his comeback with twin centuries in Birmingham and went on to finish the series as the top run-scorer. Warner, on the other hand, struggled to get going but regained his form in the home season when he hit his first triple century in Tests.

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