Rahul Dravid reveals number of runs required for India's highest scorer to beat Australia

Former Indian cricket captains Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble recently expressed their opinions regarding the upcoming India vs Australia pink ball Test match at Adelaide on December 17. While attending a webinar, as organised by L&T Financial Services Mutual Funds, the two decorated cricketers were asked to make their predictions ahead of the opening Test. According to both Dravid and Kumble, Team India needs to achieve certain targets in order to replicate their 2018-19 Test success Down Under.

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India vs Australia 2020: Rahul Dravid wants an Indian batsman to pull off a “Pujara”

According to Rahul Dravid, atleast one of the Indian batsmen needs to score at least 500 runs in the upcoming India vs Australia 2020 series, in order to pose a challenge towards the hosts. He cited the example of Cheteshwar Pujara, who scored 521 runs across four Tests during India’s 2-1 series win on their 2018-19 tour Down Under.

Rahul Dravid said the main question for Team India right now is “Who is going to be our Pujara from last time?”. He later implied if Pujara himself fails to replicate his 2018-19 batting success, India will be needing another batsman to step up and take the prolific run-scoring role. Dravid also emphasised the importance for the same because skipper and modern-day batting legend Virat Kohli will not be available (paternity leave) in the series after the opening India vs Australia pink ball Test match.

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Meanwhile, Anil Kumble talked about the importance of winning the opening India vs Australia pink ball Test match and setting the tone for the rest of the series. According to him, Virat Kohli’s absence from the final three Tests will be a “big factor” for India. However, Anil Kumble believes that there’s still “enough ability” in the team, in regards to both batting and bowling in order to win the series.

India vs Australia 1st Test: The road ahead

The India vs Australia 1st Test match is scheduled to be played at the Adelaide Oval from December 17 till December 21. The match is a pink-ball affair, thus marking India’s first-ever Day-Night Test match outside home.

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Australia A vs India live updates

The Indian Test team is currently facing Australia A at the Sydney Cricket Ground for a three-day tour match. Ajinkya Rahane won the toss and opted to bat first. India folded out for 194, with tail-ender Jasprit Bumrah scoring his maiden first-class half-century. At the time of publishing, Australia A batsmen reached 6-1 after 1.2 overs, still trailing India’s total by 188 runs.

For further Australia A vs India live updates, tune into the Sony SIX SD and HD channels. Fans can also tune into the SonyLIV app and website for live streaming. For live scores, one can visit the official social media pages of BCCI and Cricket Australia.

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Image source: ICC