Perth, Australia

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly is not ready to discount the visiting team’s chances of pulling off a win against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy starting Friday (Nov. 22). Having done it not once but twice in the past two outings, Ganguly knows what the Indian Team can do when the chips are down.

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Unlike the last time, when India was without their star players in Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Jasprit Bumrah, by the time of the fourth Test, three of the four will likely feature in the BGT opener at the Optus Stadium in Perth this time; with Rohit missing the first game for personal reasons, and ace seamer Bumrah captaining India in his absence.

ALSO READ: BGT: Perth Test skipper Bumrah hints at Mohammed Shami’s potential return, says ‘if all goes well…’

Chatting with former cricket greats England’s Michael Vaughan and Australia’s Adam Gilchrist on the Club Prairie Fire podcast, Ganguly, while replying to their predictions of Australia steamrolling India in BGT 2024-2025, said he would not predict the result, believing India can shock the world by beginning the series on a high despite the generic conscious backing Australia to break the walls.

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"Let's see. I don't rule India out. When they went in 2021, we got all out for 36 in Adelaide. We had lost [Virat] Kohli, and by the time we went to Brisbane, there wtthat as no Kohli, no Rohit Sharma, no Jasprit Bumrah, no Ravichandran Ashwin, and these guys came back and beat a top-notch Australian side. There's tremendous talent in India," Ganguly replied to Vaughan and Gilchrist on the Club Prairie Fire podcast.

Ganguly reminded the two hosts of what the Indian bench strength pulled off the last time, adding that none had backed stars-less India to win in Brisbane, chasing 330 plus on day five. 

"I wouldn't predict the series yet because, to be honest, because the last two tours, we beat them both the times. Did anybody think on Day 5 in Brisbane, when India had to get 330, Rishabh Pant played that knock and won them the match? Not just Pant but Washington Sundar and Shardul Thakur as well. Shubman Gill contributed for India to win,” the former captain continued.

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‘1-1 after Adelaide game’ 

Having surrendered two BGTs at home previously, Australia would be raring to go against the second-ranked Indian Team this time. The hosts, however, planned a tougher schedule this time, with the Optus Stadium in Perth hosting the opener, Adelaide (venue for the second Test) the Day/Night clash and Gabba in Brisbane for the third game before the action moves to Melbourne and Sydney.

Despite the odds against them, Ganguly feels this Indian team can win one of the first two matches, setting up a cracker of a series.

"It might well be that by the time the Adelaide Test finishes, it's 1-1, and then you go to Melbourne and Brisbane and Sydney, and the series gets decided. If you look at the 2018 series, it rained in Sydney, and India were on the verge of winning that Test as well. We could have won that series 3-1. 

“These are some fearless players. Let's keep our fingers crossed. I think it's going to be a fascinating series. Weather permitting, all five Test matches will have a decision, and it can go any way," Ganguly concluded. 

(With inputs from agencies)