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Former opener Matthew Hayden made a bold prediction about the upcoming Border Gavaskar Trophy and claimed that Australia will reclaim the title with a 3-1 series win over India.
The highly-anticipated BGT series will begin next week in Perth as both teams fight for a spot in the World Test Championship final, set to be held next year in London. Over the past couple of days, many predictions have been made by former cricketers and fans. While some favour India to outclass Australia, the rest have prophesied a big series win for the hosts. As the series gets closer day by day, Hayden has backed Australia to pull off a comprehensive 3-1 series win and reclaim the BGT for the first time since 2014/15. "I think Australia is going to win 3-1," Hayden said on Club Prairie Fire podcast. The former Australian opener hasn't completely ruled out India. He believes there are select individuals in the Indian camp stalwarts, Virat Kohli and speedster Jasprit Bumrah, who could dictate the outcome of the series with their respective forms. "The form of Smith, Virat Kohli, Pat Cummins's bowling and captaincy form, and Jasprit Bumrah's form will define the series," he added. One of the biggest holes that Australia is trying to fill is the one left by David Warner. Australia found themselves stuck in an opening conundrum after Steven Smith was restored into the middle order following his short-lived stint as an opener. McSweeney, who usually features in the number three spot, will walk into an unknown territory when he steps up in Perth to open alongside Khawaja. Options were available in the form of Sam Konastas, Marcus Harris and Cameron Bancroft, but the selectors decided to hand young Nathan McSweeney his Test debut alongside Usman Khawaja. "David Warner was a once-in-a-lifetime athlete and hard to replace. He is a very hard person to replace. I really hope Nathan does well," Hayden noted. (ANI)
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