Australia’s pace ace Josh Hazlewood believes that India’s confidence may have been shaken after their shocking series loss to New Zealand, but he’s also expecting a strong comeback when they face Australia in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy starting later this month. India suffered an unexpected 3-0 whitewash to New Zealand in a historic Test series loss on home soil, marking their first-ever clean sweep in Test cricket since 1933.
Hazlewood, in an interview with Sydney Morning Herald, remarked that the defeat could “awaken a sleeping giant,” and it’s expected that India will come out fighting when they meet Australia in the Test series. The loss has not only dented India’s confidence but also their chances of qualifying for the World Test Championship (WTC) final. The series sweep saw India lose their top spot in the WTC standings to Australia, putting pressure on them to win at least four of their five remaining matches against the Australians to secure a third consecutive WTC final berth.
Despite the loss, Hazlewood acknowledged the incredible feat by New Zealand, who achieved an unprecedented 3-0 win in India, calling it “unbelievable” and a remarkable achievement in the history of Test cricket. “To win 3-0 in India is unbelievable. It’s hard enough to win one game there, let alone every match of the series,” Hazlewood said.
With the Border-Gavaskar Trophy set to begin on November 22 in Perth, Hazlewood believes the upcoming series will be huge, with massive crowds expected and high TV ratings. “Every time we play India, it’s right up there with the Ashes,” Hazlewood added.
In another significant development, the IPL mega auction for the 2025 season is scheduled to be held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on November 24 and 25. This is the second consecutive year the auction will take place overseas, after Dubai hosted the auction ahead of IPL 2024. With 1,574 cricketers registered, including 320 capped players, the auction is expected to be a spectacle, especially as it coincides with the India-Australia Test series. This year’s auction will include top Indian stars like Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, and Arshdeep Singh, with the 10 IPL franchises collectively having a budget of 641.5 crore to bid for 204 available slots.
Hazlewood, who is gearing up for the Test series after playing for Queensland in the Sheffield Shield, is optimistic about his form heading into the series. “Body felt surprisingly good. The longer I went, I think the better I felt, and the rhythm was there,” Hazlewood said.
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