Former Pakistan national cricket team cricketer Basit Ali has reacted to Ravi Shastri’s prediction about the upcoming Test series between the Indian national cricket team and the Australian national cricket team. He said that he is trying to create hype ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
The countdown to the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2025 has begun as there are less than 100 days left for the series between India and Australia to begin. The two teams will take on each other in the five-match Test series, which will be played over two months.
The 2025 Border-Gavaskar Trophy will begin at the Optus Stadium in Perth on November 22. The second match between India and Australia will be a day-night encounter to be played in Adelaide from December 6.
The third Test match is scheduled to be held at the Gabba in Brisbane from December 14, followed by the Boxing Day Test match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) from December 26. The final match will be played in Sydney from January 3.
The series has always generated jokes among fans and predictions from experts. Recently, former India head coach Ravi Shastri gave his opinion on the matter. The reputed commentator claimed that the Indian National Cricket Team will complete a hat-trick of victories in Australia.
However, Basit Ali was not impressed with Ravi Shastri’s prediction and said that pundits will continue to make predictions to create hype. He also opined that the rivalry between India and Australia cannot be of the same intensity as that between India and Pakistan. In a video posted on his YouTube channel, he explained:
“I think they are trying to create a stir. Everyone knows that India vs Pakistan is on one side and everything else is on the other side. Even Ashes is not that important. So, you are going to hear such statements now,” Basit Ali said.
In their last two tours, India have had a sensational showing in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. They have won two consecutive series in Australia. The Rohit Sharma-led team would be keen to achieve a similar result this time.
You will know whether the India-Australia series is more important or the India-Pakistan match is more important: Basit Ali wants a hockey series between two arch-rivals, if not cricket.
Basit Ali further stated that Team India has made it clear that it will not travel to Pakistan but made a bold statement by saying that even if two arch rivals compete in hockey or other sports, it will be more interesting than India vs Australia. He explained:
“Arshad Nadeem beat Neeraj Chopra at the Paris Olympics, otherwise the gold medal for India was assured. The Indian cricket team has made it clear that it will not travel to Pakistan, so just organise a bilateral hockey, javelin or kabaddi series between India and Pakistan in some other country and you will know whether the India-Australia series is more important or the India-Pakistan match is more important.
“When Neeraj and Arshdad compete in javelin, the whole world will be in front of the television and the stadium will be full,” concluded Basit Ali.
