After facing Bangladesh in a two-match Test series and playing three red-ball matches against New Zealand at home, India will travel to Australia to face the 2023 World Test Championship winners in a five-match Test series. The 2024–25 edition of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy will see both teams facing each other in five Tests, with the second one set to be a day-night match with the pink ball in Adelaide.
India managed to get the better of Australia in the last two Test series played Down Under, and this time under Rohit Sharma’s leadership, they would like to repeat the same show.
Ahead of the start of the much-awaited Test series, former Australian captain Ricky Ponting has backed Khaleel Ahmed to find a place in the Indian Test squad. According to Ponting, who has worked with Khaleel during his time as head coach of the Delhi Capitals, the 26-year-old left-arm pacer could be a valuable addition given his point of difference to the rest of India’s quicks.
“Someone like Khaleel Ahmed, I think, could find himself on the Test tour,” Ponting said on the latest episode of The ICC Review.
“I know he’s just been over in Zimbabwe recently and played that (T20I) series over there, but a left-armer would be ideal for them to have in their touring squad.”
“(Mohammed) Shami will be back fit by then; (Mohammed) Siraj, we know, will be there abouts somewhere and obviously Bumrah is going nowhere. So, both teams are going to line up really, really strongly,” he added.
Apart from Khaleel, India has another quality left-arm pacer available in the form of Arshdeep Singh, and there are high chances that he will get picked in the Indian team for the Australian series.
The former U-19 star, who made his international debut for India in 2022, finished as the joint-leading wicket-taker in the T20 World Cup 2024. After dismissing 17 batters in eight matches for the Rohit Sharma-led side, he expressed his desire to play Test cricket for India.
And it was reported last month by the Times of India that he will get picked up in the squad for the five-match series against Australia.
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