Top order makes India a very dangerous side: Abhishek Nayar

New Delhi, Oct 28 Former India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar lauded the top-order batting prowess of the Men in Blue and cautioned Australia of a tough contest in the five-match T20I series starting here on Wednesday.

India’s top three include openers Abhishek Sharma (No. 1-ranked T20I batter), Shubman Gill, and Tilak Varma (No. 3-ranked T20I batter). Not only that, India captain Suryakumar Yadav is among the top 10 in the T20I batting rankings.

“These Australian conditions could suit Abhishek Sharma’s style perfectly, as he thrives on bounce and prefers playing beside the line. We’ve seen players like Travis Head succeed due to the consistent bounce. While he'll face challenges against bowlers like Josh Hazlewood, who consistently hit back of a length, his IPL experience against these bowlers will help. Conditions matter, but his attacking mentality can overcome them, especially during Powerplays where boundary sizes become irrelevant. If he maintains his intent and continues playing beside the line, this could be a very successful tour for him,” Nayar said on JioStar’s ‘Game Plan’.

“Tilak Varma has consistently performed for India and the Mumbai Indians. His opportunity came during the South Africa tour when Suryakumar Yadav promoted him to No. 3, where he scored multiple hundreds and grabbed the opportunity with both hands. He even had an amazing Asia Cup, and to deliver under pressure in a multi-nation tournament final against Pakistan demonstrates his growing maturity. As a left-hander who plays spin well and excels against pace with his pull shots, he adds crucial balance to our batting line-up. Our entire top order thrives on bounce and horizontal bat shots, making this a complete team with power hitters, quality spinners, and varied fast bowlers. This makes India a very dangerous side that Australia will need to approach very carefully,” he added.

India’s squad will be boosted with the return of pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah for the series. Former India batter believes that Australian conditions will be a great platform for the experienced speedster to announce his return in the limited-overs format after the Asia Cup.

“I distinctly remember from our Border-Gavaskar Trophy experiences that Jasprit Bumrah has always demonstrated an extraordinary determination to excel in Australian conditions. There’s something uniquely validating about performing well there. It represents the ultimate stamp of approval for any cricketer, achieving success against world-class opposition in conditions that are fundamentally different from what we experience in India. No matter what accomplishments a player has already achieved, Australia always presents that special challenge where everyone wants to prove themselves to the world,” Nayar said.

“In this current T20I configuration, we’re witnessing Bumrah embrace a completely transformed role where he’s now bowling three overs during the initial Powerplay phase. This strategic shift directly aligns with Captain Suryakumar Yadav’s emphasis on early breakthroughs and Coach Gautam Gambhir’s philosophy of aggressive wicket-taking. The team management is clearly utilising him in a very distinctive manner. This approach will be particularly fascinating to observe in Australian conditions, especially given their formidable batting depth in the lower order. It will be compelling to see how his bowling responsibilities are managed, though I have absolutely no doubt that he remains tremendously motivated to deliver something exceptional on Australian soil.”

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