Guys like Rishabh Pant have got a muscle memory and the thirst for victory” – Matthew Hayden

Former Australian opener Matthew Hayden has singled out Rishabh Pant as one of the crucial players for India in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. The highly anticipated five-match Test series is set to take place from November 22 to January 3.

India has dominated the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in recent years, winning the last four editions, including two remarkable series victories in Australia. One of the standout performers during India’s historic 2020-21 tour of Australia was Rishabh Pant, who played a pivotal role in India’s 2-1 series win. Pant scored 274 runs at an impressive average of 68.50, including two vital half-centuries.

Speaking at the CEAT Cricket Rating Awards ceremony, Matthew Hayden praised Pant for his hunger for victory and his dynamic style of play.

“Guys like Rishabh Pant have got a muscle memory and the thirst for victory. He was such a key player last time he played there, and the Australian public loved him as well, because of the nature of the way he played his game,” Hayden remarked.

He added, “It was exciting. It was innovative. It was just fresh and good. Then you have got your old stewards, like Virat Kohli, who will want to make an impression again. From a batting point of view, I’m excited to see how India strategizes to take on the Australian conditions.”

Pant’s heroics during the previous series included a match-saving 97 in Sydney and an unbeaten 89 in Brisbane, which helped India pull off an improbable chase of 328 to secure the series victory. However, the 26-year-old has not played a Test match since suffering injuries in a car accident in December 2022.

“The great thing from an Indian perspective is that when you look at the last victory, there was no Virat Kohli” – Matthew Hayden

Matthew Hayden also emphasized the confidence India will carry into the series, recalling how they managed to win the last tour of Australia despite the absence of Virat Kohli in the final three Tests.

Kohli played only the first Test in Adelaide, which India lost, before returning home for personal reasons. Ajinkya Rahane took over the captaincy and led a depleted Indian side to an extraordinary 2-1 series win.

“The great thing from an Indian perspective is that when you look at the last victory, there was no Virat Kohli. There was a very much a second-team bowling line-up that won at the Gabba. That’s the kind of confidence that you can expect this Indian unit to go to our shores (with) and go, ‘guys, we’ve done this before, and we’ve done it in a way that’s second to none, even without our key players,’” Hayden said.

The first Test of the eagerly awaited series, featuring the two teams at the top of the World Test Championship (WTC) points table, will begin in Perth on November 22.