‘When Virat comes out to bat…’: Jason Gillespie’s crucial advice to Australia ahead of India series

The upcoming four-match Test series between India and Australia next month will be a highly anticipated showdown between former India captain Virat Kohli and Australia skipper Pat Cummins. Kohli has long been India’s most reliable batsman, while Cummins is currently the world’s top-ranked bowler in the ICC Test rankings. This battle between two of the world’s best cricketers promises to be an exciting one to watch.

Former Australian pacer Jason Gillespie is eagerly anticipating the showdown between two cricketing greats. He has also advised the Australian team to have Pat Cummins bowl immediately when Virat Kohli steps up to the crease.

“I am really looking forward to seeing (Virat) Kohli vs Cummins. That’s a fantastic match-up. It will be interesting to see how they go. When Virat comes out to bat, I would love to see Cummins take the ball and go at him straight away. That will be great theatre, two wonderful cricketers at the top of their game,” Gillespie told Hindustan Times.

Cummins has dismissed Kohli nine times across all formats, yet the former Indian skipper also boasts an impressive strike rate of over 90. As a result, the face-off between the two is considered to be a closely-contested battle.

Pacers Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood will be without the services of Mitchell Starc for the first Test, as he is sidelined with an injury. Australia has bolstered their squad with the addition of spinners Mitchell Swepson and Todd Murphy, in addition to Nathan Lyon, but Gillespie is confident that the ball will reverse during the Test series, giving the Australian fast bowlers a great opportunity to make a significant impact against the Indian batters.

“Starc is obviously a left-armer and does get it to reverse very late. But Hazlewood and Cummins are equally good. They can all have a real impact on the old ball. Watch out for Green too. He can be a really awkward customer for the Indian batsmen. I think we will see the ball reverse swinging in this series,” Gillespie added.

Gillespie, who represented Australia in 71 Tests, was a key contributor to their series victory in India in 2004-05. He emerged as the highest wicket-taker for the tourists, claiming 20 wickets in four Tests at an impressive average of 16.15.

READ| Meet Gurcharan Singh- Ex-India Head Coach who is now Padma Shri awardee