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The upcoming Australia tour to India will commence from February 9

The Border Gavaskar Trophy is one of the most prestigious, competitive and historic series in Test cricket. It dates back to the time when the Indian Test team began facing the Australian Test team from 1947 till date. However, back in 1996, the series was renamed in the honour of legendary cricketers Sunil Gavaskar and Allan Border. 

Fast-forward to the modern day, India and Australia are gearing up to have a crack at each other in a four-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy in February-March. The two sides are the powerhouses in Test Cricket and are sitting on the brink to enter the World Test Championship Final 2023.

On that note, here are five Players to watch out for in the Border Gavaskar Trophy 2023

1. Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli undoubtedly has to be the first name on the board. The former India skipper has been in blazing hot form since the Asia Cup 2022, and just a month into 2023 has seen this talismanic batter bring up three ODI centuries already. Recovering massively from the long lean patch he was going through, the 34-year-old will be India’s key batter into the Border Gavaskar Trophy. Kohli loves to face and challenge the Aussies and has a commendable average of 48.06 and seven hundreds against them. 

2. Shubman Gill

Shubman Gill is enjoying the time of his life, having already registered a double centuries in ODIs. He has been extremely impressive for India in Tests and played a gem of a knock, a brilliant 91 off 146 deliveries that set the tone for India for a record-winning chase at the Gabba in 2020-21. He missed out on his century but he was lauded for his braveryand determination at such a young age. He would be eager to stand tall against the mighty Aussies and reach more milestones in the upcoming series.

3. Ravichandran Ashwin

R Ashwin is one of the best Test all-rounders in world cricket currently. The lanky 36-year-old’s biggest ability is to deceive opposition batters with ease and his mastery on the Indian pitches is known to all. He can also be extremely useful with the bat in the middle-order.. The right-arm off-spinner is India’s second leading wicket-taker in Tests, with 449 wickets in 88 matches. Interestingly, 312 of them have come on Indian conditions.

4. Marnus Labuschagne

Currently the No.1 Test batter in the world, Marnus Labuschagne will be the main batter and best bet for Australia. He has been in sensational form, striking centuries at will and giving opposition bowlers a tough time. The right-hander is a rock-solid batter at number 3 and has an exceptional average of 59.4 in Test cricket. It remains to be seen how the talented batter negates the Indian spin-bowling threat. He won the Player of the Series in the recently concluded Test series against West Indies and was the top-scorer with 502 runs. 

5. Pat Cummins

Currently the No.1 Test bowler, Pat Cummins will be the leader of the pace attack of his team when they lock horns with India. The Australian skipper has brought about a massive resurgence and putting to rest the notion that “bowlers can’t be good captains”. Also, the lanky bowler’s thunderbolts and swinging deliveries will definitely be a threat for the Indian batters. Cummins has played two Tests in India and has bagged eight wickets. If Australia is to win the series, Cummins’s leadership and his bowling form would be critical.