Josh Hazlewood reveals Australia’s plan for Border-Gavaskar Trophy

With all eyes on the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, Australian pace spearhead Josh Hazlewood opened up on a strategic shift in the team’s approach. The pacer mentioned that the Aussies are zeroing in on India’s emerging talents rather than their seasoned veterans.

The upcoming five-match Test series, commencing on November 22 in Perth, will be important for both sides in terms of the World Test Championship standings. Australia, coming off consecutive home series losses to India in 2018-19 and 2020-21, will leave no stone unturned in their preparation. This time, their focus is trained on the likes of young Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill.

“The strategy is probably more focused on the newer players we haven’t played much Test cricket against, like Jaiswal and even Shubman Gill, who we’ve only faced a few times. We’ve played against Virat, Rohit, and others for years, so we know what to do. The plan doesn’t change that often,” Hazlewood said in an exclusive interview with Star Sports.

It’s about the basics, doing them well and for a long time: Josh Hazlewood

The Australian pacer’s focus on newer players doesn’t come from their inexperience. Gill, for instance, has already faced Australia in six Tests, with an impressive average of 44.40 and a century and two half-centuries. Jaiswal, on the other hand, is yet to face the Australian attack in Test cricket.

“It’s about the basics, doing them well and for a long time. We usually find that 9 out of 10 times, Test cricket comes back to that Plan A. You adapt to conditions and change things throughout the day or innings, but most of the time, it’s about executing that plan,” he added.

Meanwhile, India is currently up against Bangladesh in a two-match Test series at home and will also play a three-match Test series against New Zealand before departing to Australia. On the other hand, the Aussies are on a white-ball tour to England and will next take on Pakistan for a white-ball series.