Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25: Who are the probable pace bowling all-rounder options for India ahead of Australia tour?
Team India are all set to challenge Australia Down Under for a five-match Test series starting November 22 at the Optus Stadium in Perth. The visiting team won their last two Test tours of Australia by a margin of 2-1 each. They will be on the quest to complete a hat-trick under the leadership of Rohit Sharma.
Though the Aussies have not won a Test series against India since their triumph in the 2014/15 tourney, the hosts are a strong outfit in red-ball cricket. They are the current World Test Champions, having won the WTC 2021-23 final, defeating India. They are the world's No. 1 Test team. Hence, this five-match series would be a keenly contested mouth-watering affair.
To beat such a formidable Test side led by Pat Cummins, India will need to cover all their bases. In the current squad, the visitors have some of the finest bowlers and batters. But one aspect they lack is a fast-bowling all-rounder.
With Australian pitches known for aiding pace and bounce, it is paramount for India to go in with at least four pacers in the Perth Test. In the previous tour, India went with Shardul Thakur as the pace-bowling all-rounder, and he made an impact with both bat and ball.
But as things stand, India are yet to zero in on the fourth pacer who will assist the experienced trio of Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammed Siraj. On the other hand, the home team have the luxury of going with five pacers, including Cameroon Green and Mitchell Marsh. Both Green and Marsh bat in the top six for the Australia Test team.
In this article, we will discuss the potential pace bowling all-rounders for India based on their performance in the domestic circuit.
Nitish Reddy
The young and exciting all-rounder from Andhra Pradesh, Nitish Reddy, has grabbed everyone’s attention with some solid performances in domestic cricket. A medium-pace bowler who can bat in the middle order, he played a key role for his state’s side in the last domestic season.
In Ranji 2023/24, Nitish amassed 366 runs from just 11 innings, and this includes scoring his maiden first-class century (159) against Bihar. Adding to that, he picked up 25 wickets for Andhra for a second consecutive season.
These performances earned him an IPL contract, and Nitish had a breakout season with SunRisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. In the 13 games he played, the 21-year-old piled up 303 runs at a strike rate close to 143 with the help of two match-winning 50+ scores. He played a key role in their road to the final.
Nitish is recuperating from an injury and has just returned for the Duleep Trophy games. He is definitely a great talent, and some more consistent all-round performances will pave the way for his selection in the Test team.
Shivam Dube
On the back of some notable performances in IPL as well as for Mumbai, Shivam Dube found his way back into the national squad. He was part of India’s T20 squad that won the World Cup not long ago. He also made his ODI return after a gap of five years.
This was largely due to his consistent show in the IPL with Chennai Super Kings, with whom he made a massive 1103 runs in just three seasons at an incredible strike rate close to 160. Dube was in his element with the red ball as well, as he amassed 407 runs in just 7 innings for Mumbai in the 2023/24 Ranji season, alongside scalping 12 wickets to show his all-round prowess.
He has proved his mettle in first-class cricket, having scored 1453 runs at an average of 50.10 in 22 games while taking 52 wickets at 21.73 apiece. These impressive numbers show how the hard-hitting left-hand batter has improved his overall game in recent times.
Though playing in Australian conditions is altogether a different challenge, Dube’s domestic numbers can’t be neglected.
Harshit Rana
While the above-mentioned players play predominantly in the middle order, here is a bowling all-rounder who can bat lower down the order. As a bowler, Harshit Rana is someone who can hit hard lengths and generate a lot of pace out of the surface. With the ball, he has proved equally destructive, with the bat coming down the order.
He made a mark in the 2022/23 Ranji Trophy, taking 21 wickets in 8 innings for Delhi, and then went on to smash a stunning 86-ball 122 in the Duleep Trophy QF game against Northeast Zone in the 2023 season. This was followed by a standout IPL 2024 season where he took 19 wickets in the title-clinching campaign for Kolkata Knight Riders.
Having proved himself as a wicket-taker in every level of cricket and gaining the tag of being a dangerous batter down the order, it is perhaps time for Harshit Rana to move to the big league.
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