Pakistan Test coach Jason Gillespie backs Australia to beat India in Border-Gavaskar series

Pakistan’s red-ball head coach Jason Gillespie on Tuesday said that the Australian bowling quartet of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon are more than capable of beating India this time around in the upcoming five-match Test series.

“I will be backing them to do the job,” Gillespie told Fox Sports.

“They are the best bowlers in the country. I think their records speak for themselves. This quartet is the best possible bowling attack that Australia can put out in the park,” he added.

Australia have not won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy since 2014-15 when they won 2-0 and have suffered consecutive series defeats on home soil. In 2020-21, India came from 1-0 down after being bowled out for 36 in Adelaide to take the series with famous wins at the MCG and Gabba.

India vs Australia: Team India emerged victorious in the last Border-Gavaskar Trophy Down Under in 2021.

“They are red-hot, they are playing some good test cricket for a while now,” said Gillespie.

“Even though they have beaten Australia in recent times. I think Australia have a chance to beat India this time around.”

On Steve Smith

There is lot of talk about where Steve Smith should continue to open for Australia or he should be back playing in the middle-order. Gillespie feels Smith should bat at No. 4 for Australia.

Australia’s Steve Smith bats against the West Indies on the third day of their cricket test match in Adelaide, Australia, Friday, Jan. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/James Elsby)

“Players like David Warner is pretty tough to replace. I didn’t mind the idea of Steve smith going up in the order. I have a feeling that he might have slot back in the middle order to bat at 4,” he said.

On being Pakistan coach

Gillespie didn’t had an ideal start to his coaching stint with Pakistan as they suffered a shocked 0-2 defeat against Bangladesh in the recently-concluded Test series.

“It was pretty disappointing, you want to win games at cricket. We prepared well but we were just beaten by a better team. We got a lot of work to do and there is no doubt about that,” he said.

Pakistan’s Naseem Shah, second right, celebrates with teammate after taking the wicket of Bangladesh’s Zakir Hasan during the third day of first cricket test match between Pakistan and Bangladesh, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Friday, Aug. 23, 2024. AP/PTI

“There was a lot of disappointment around the country but there was also an acceptance and understanding that change is needed. We need to be patient. There is a real appetite of stability, hopefully, we can secure that.”

Pakistan will next play a three-match Test series against England in October.

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