In the past, we have witnessed how individual battles between players have an overall impact on the result of a series. Especially in tournaments such as the Ashes and the BGT, such matchups are given a lot of attention. In this context, the upcoming series between India and Australia will have a lot of sub-battles that will define the outcome of the series. On that note, here, we take a look at three battles that could decide the winner of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
1) R Ashwin vs Steve Smith
Steve Smith is a terrific player of spin. He has troubled India a lot in the past and in recent months, he has also rediscovered his old touch. He will, for sure, be one of the prime obstacles for the Indian Team.
R Ashwin will be India’s best solution to tackle Smith. In the last BGT, Ashwin had actually got the better of Smith on a couple of occasions. Therefore, this battle might define the outcome of BGT 2023.
2) Mohammed Siraj vs David Warner
The Siraj vs Warner face-off is one of the battles that could decide the winner of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Warner recently scored a double-century. His arrival back to form is bad news for the Indian Team.
However, Siraj is known to do well against left-handers. If the Hyderabad pacer can maintain his form against Warner, it would be a big issue that the hosts will avoid.
3) Virat Kohli vs Nathan Lyon
With Rishabh Pant not in the XI, Nathan Lyon will be a more dangerous player for Team India. Especially with Virat having his issues against off-spin, it is sure that he will have to face a lot of Nathan Lyon.
Virat’s recent form against spin has gotten better. However, he must be at his best against Lyon for him to have an impact on the game. Therefore, this battle will also be important for both sides.
