New Delhi: With the Border-Gavaskar series being on balance at 1-1 after two matches, the outcome of the third Test from Saturday at Brisbane would be pivotal to determine who among India or Australia win the series, feels Harbhajan Singh.
India won the series opener at Perth by 295 runs but Australia pulled level in the day-night game at Adelaide, winning their eight consecutive pink ball Test by 10 wickets.
The third game will be played at the bouncy conditions of the Gabba in Brisbane, where India had won in 2021. Hence a positive outcome at the Gabba could set up the series favourably for India as they would fancy themselves winning either at Melbourne or Sydney, the venue if the fourth and fifth matches, respectively.
“Their best chances will be, I think, in Sydney and Melbourne. Anyway, if you play your best cricket at The Gabba and win there, then you will definitely win one match out of Melbourne or Sydney,” Harbhajan told Star Sports.
At Adelaide, India couldn’t hold onto their lead they got at Perth. Now they would have to do what Australia did after getting beaten in the first game, make a turnaround in the third game.
“The equality of the first two Tests shows that both teams have the ability to come back. Australia has come back; now maybe it’s India’s turn to turn the tables,” he said, adding that the 10-day break between the first and second game contributed to India losing momentum.
“This series is tough because both teams have had losses. What happened with Australia in Perth, maybe they didn’t expect it. And what happened with India in Adelaide, maybe India also didn’t expect it.
“Although there was a very long gap in the middle between the two Tests, sometimes such a gap spoils the momentum, and it happened here,” the former off-spinner said.
‘Momentum with Australia’
Former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar said since Australia made a comeback in the second Test they would have momentum at Brisbane as the third game starts very quickly after the completion of the second game.
“The momentum that the Indian team got in Perth was lost during the 10-day gap. Now, the momentum is with Australia because they have won this Test match,” Gavaskar said.
“After the Adelaide Test, a few days later, you are playing at The Gabba. So, the momentum is now with the Australian team.”
The third game will be played at the bouncy conditions of the Gabba in Brisbane, where India had won in 2021. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
