'Both of them will be on that flight to Australia' - Dinesh Karthik picks Pujara-Rahane's replacement for BGT 2024-25

As India gear up for the most-anticipated Border Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 in Australia, the side will fly without two of their experienced batters, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane. Former India wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik has weighed in on this debate, naming Shubman Gill and Sarfaraz Khan as the ideal candidates to step into these crucial roles.

India's previous two Test series victories in Australia have been brilliant, with Pujara and Rahane playing crucial roles. Pujara was the backbone of the Indian batting lineup during the 2018-19 series, scoring 521 runs to finish as the highest run-scorer.

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Rahane, on the other hand, delivered a match-winning century at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in the 2020-21 series, helping India bounce back after the infamous Adelaide Test collapse. Replacing this duo will be no small task, but Karthik believes that Gill and Khan have the talent and temperament required for the job.

“Shubman Gill and Sarfaraz Khan. Both of those batters have done well against England in the home series that recently happened at the start of the year. I have a feeling both of them will be on that flight to Australia and will be trying to do their best. We will know if they’re able to replace both Ajinkya and Pujji (Pujara). Big shoes to fill, but they have the quality and calibre in them,” Karthik said on HeyCB with DK show on Cricbuzz.

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Shubman Gill scored 259 runs in 2020-21 BGT

Gill was part of the winning India squad against Australia during the BGT 2020-21. His memorable debut series saw him finish as the sixth-highest run-scorer with 259 runs, a crucial 91 on the final day of the Gabba Test, which sealed a historic series win for India. With 25 Tests under his belt, Gill has continued to impress and is seen as a key player in India’s future Test plans.

Khan, although relatively new to the international scene, has made a good start to his career. Debuting against England earlier this year, the Mumbai-born scored 200 runs in five innings at an average of 50, with three half-centuries to his name.