Rohit and Gambhir face selection dilemma as replacements for 'Rahane-Pujara' making their way to Australia

India's much-awaited home season will kick off in just 17 days, with the Men in Blue returning to action after a 43-day break to take on Bangladesh in a two-Test series. This series will set the stage for the highly-anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy – a five-Test showdown in Australia starting on November 22. With India coming off historic wins in their last two series Down Under, the team is aiming for a hat-trick of victories. On the other hand, Australia is determined to avenge their defeats and reclaim the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after eight years. The excitement and anticipation surrounding this upcoming series is at an all-time high, with fans eagerly awaiting to see how it all unfolds.

India and Australia have been part of some high profile matches over the last year, clashing in the final of the World Test Championship, the ODI World Cup and the semi-final of the T20 World Cup; Hence, nothing like bringing these two cricketing powerhouses together for a full-fledged Test series in one of the most hostile environments in the world. Preparations are underway already with India gearing up for a long starting the Duleep Trophy from September 5, where the likes of Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer and Sarfaraz Khan will hit the ground running.

With the selectors expected to sit down and finalise the 15-member squad in due time after consulation with captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Gautam Gambhir, Sarfaraz and Gill have been backed by Dinesh Karthik to make the fight for Australia later this year. Both batters had a memorable time in the Test series against England between January and March, which India won 4-1. Sarfaraz scored 200 runs in three Tests, including two half-centuries, while Gill had a blast with 452 runs at an average of 56.5 with two centuries and fifties each. Karthik feels from the current crop of players, Sarfaraz and Gill could perform the same role as Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane have done for all these years, but whether they'll be able to be as effective as India's former middle-order pair remains to be seen.

"Shubman Gill and Sarfaraz Khan… both of those batters have done really well against England in the home series that took place at the start of the year. I have a feeling both of them will definitely be on that flight to Australia and will be trying to do their best. We will know whether they'll be able to replace Ajinkya and Pujara. Big shoes to fill but they have the quality and caliber in them," Karthik said while answering a question on Cricbuzz.

Easier said than done

Pujara and Rahane played instrumental roles in India's last two series wins in Australia. In the 2018/19 BGT, Pujara was India's middle order backbone, amassing 521 runs in four Tests with three centuries. He was equally gritty three years later, along with Rahane, who, as India's stand-in captain, led from the front with a hundred at the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne and shepherded India's remarkable 2-1 come-from-behind series win.

However, as indispensable as Rahane and Pujara were in Kohli's Team India, the same cannot be said for Sarfaraz. Pushing Gill to No. 3 worked wonders for India as Gill produced stellar outcomes, but Sarfaraz's inclusion came on the back of injuries to KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer. With both expected to be back in the scheme of things, it would take a brave man with a bold prediction to guarantee Sarfaraz a place in the Playing XI.

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