IND vs AUS 2023: Two World giants Australia and India will have a crack at each other in a much-awaited Border-Gavaskar Trophy in India. Both teams are on the brink of reaching the World Test Championship Final but still have some work to do to book a final date with each other. While India defeated Australia for back-to-back times Down Under, the Aussie side is yet to beat India since 2004-05. Notably, a former Aussie star spinner has put his weight behind his national side to do well in India.
Australia's Steve O’Keefe has stated that players from the current Australian team have a good experience of playing in challenging Indian conditions and the team can go closer than they were in the previous 2-1 loss at India's home in 2017. “I’m so bullish about this team. A lot of those guys who are part of that 2017 experience would have learned so much from that series. At times we got close, and the next time becomes a little easier. I believe that is going to be the case this time," O'Keefe said to the Herald and The Age.
The Australian players are practising on the Sydney pitches to get customised to spinning conditions in India and there are some players who play spin well. The former Aussie spinner acknowledges that his team boast players who have the ability to play the spin well. "We’re going over with a strong batting lineup, which plays spin really well. Marnus Labuschagne has not toured India but is a good player of spin, we’ve seen that already. Cameron Green is elite, so I feel this group is strong.” he added.
The Aussies had a chance to clinch the series in 2017 when they won the first Test but then went on to lose two out of three to concede the series. O'Keefe also opened up about the pitch of the first Test in Pune and said it's important to get ahead in India. “The pitch spun a great deal. Smith played a brilliant inning. It’s just interesting over there, you’ve just got to get ahead of the game, and it’s very hard to get ahead in India. But that’s the key," he added.
