The BGT against Australia will be the first firm Test for Australia in his coaching career. He will be desperate to start his career on a strong note and winning this series will be important from a WTC point of view. The series will also give a hint of what lies ahead for the Test squad. On that note, here, we take a look at the list of three players Gautam Gambhir might surprisingly select for BGT 2024/25 in Australia.
1) Hardik Pandya
Recently, Sunil Gavaskar expressed that Hardik Pandya must be picked for the BGT later this year. Gautam Gambhir could actually make that happen.
It has been a while since India had a good pace-bowling all-rounder. Hardik Pandya, due to his fitness issues, has not donned the whites for a few years now. Now that his fitness is improving and India does not have an important tournament soon, Gambhir could select Hardik.
2) Harshit Rana
Harshit Rana is one of the players Gautam Gambhir might surprisingly select for BGT 2024/25 in Australia. Shardul Thakur has been the No.8 for Team India in overseas games.
However, Shardul has struggled to remain consistent with the ball. India must work on the batting depth but must not lose on bowling quality. Therefore, someone like Harshit Rana could be groomed. Considering Gambhir spent time with him at KKR, this might be a possibility despite the likes of Akash Deep debuting for India recently.
3) Cheteshwar Pujara
At No.3. Shubman Gill is yet to cement his place. For him, the BGT will be a very vital tournament. India also does not have experienced backups for this role.
Therefore, Gambhir might get Pujara back as a backup. He is experienced and has been playing in England in recent months. To add to this, Pujara has always done well in Australia.
