Leadership, experience, youth: Shastri breaks down Australia’s Border-Gavaskar series revival 

After suffering a heavy defeat to India in Perth to go 1-0 down in the series, Australia faced a big challenge in staging a turnaround on home soil.

They responded in emphatic fashion, delivering commanding victories in the pink-ball Test in Adelaide and the Boxing Day clash in Melbourne.

Cummins – Leading the pack

Leading this resurgence has been Pat Cummins, who has excelled not just as captain, but also as a bowler and even with the bat, particularly during the Melbourne Test. Shastri’s admiration for the skipper grew this series.

“I watched him from the dressing room a lot, over the 10 years, from 2014 to 2023, so almost three Australian series, I watched him in Australia,” Shastri said.

“And my admiration for him just went higher and higher because his approach is much like Jasprit’s.

“It's no-nonsense, there's no flamboyance, there's no flash involved there, they just go about their job like true professionals and they're tough as nails.

“When the chips are down, you expect Cummins to rise to the fore, whether it's bat, ball, as a captain. I honestly believe I've never seen him bowl a spell where he's ambling in.

“He is running in and he's looking to knock the hell out of the other guy. He's giving his best. And when you have a captain that's inspirational at the top doing the job for you...”

When quizzed lightheartedly by host Sanjana Ganesan about which Australian player he’d like to see in the Indian team for the Sydney Test, Shastri didn’t hesitate.

“Pat Cummins. Just get Pat Cummins and Jasprit Bumrah together. We’ll have some fun. It will be at both ends. Let the guys go.”

WATCH: Fiery fast bowling from Pat Cummins in the WTC23 Final

Smith – The old nemesis

Another standout in Australia’s resurgence has been Steve Smith, who has stormed back to form after a quiet start to the series.

After just 19 runs in the first two Tests, Smith has rediscovered his rhythm, scoring centuries in Melbourne and Gabba, and offering glimpses of his vintage best.

“It depends on him (Steve Smith),” Shastri said when asked of his longevity. “See at that age it's only that player's mind that will tell you. They could just get up one day and say, ‘I've had enough.’

“Are they prepared to do the travelling? Are they prepared to do the hard yards? Can their body take it? Only they'll know. But on evidence, he can easily carry on for another 12 months to 18 months, quite easily.”

Konstas – Teen spirit

While Australia’s seasoned stars have delivered as expected, 19-year-old debutant Sam Konstas stole the spotlight in Melbourne.

Facing up to the daunting Jasprit Bumrah, Konstas displayed youthful flair and fearlessness, mixing audacious laps and reverse-laps against India’s premier bowler to craft an impressive 65-ball 60.

“Very refreshing, very modern,” was Shastri’s thoughts on the opener. “I had mentioned to you, they should look at him very early in the series because of just that attitude. Australia had no one who would take the attack to India.

“How long he'll succeed or the way he played those ramp shots and all that, only time will tell. But I think he's got enough qualities there that suggest that he can just gain with the exposure and the fact that he's been blooded in young, he'll do well for Australia because I think he's got a very good defensive game as well if he works on it, and he's got a good cricketing brain in the way he reads situations.

“Those are very important qualities that come to the fore and at the end of it, it's the temperament, he didn’t seem to be overawed, by the occasion.”

Webster – Debutant allrounder

Another player poised to make his mark is Beau Webster, who, at 31 years old, is set to debut in Sydney as a replacement for Mitchell Marsh.

An aggressive lower-order batter and a handy medium-fast bowler, Webster brings over a decade of first-class experience, having played 91 domestic matches, amassing 5,297 runs and claiming 148 wickets along the way.

Shastri welcomed the selection wholeheartedly, even expressing surprise that Webster hadn’t been included earlier in the series.

“I think a good selection because Mitch [Marsh] has not been in the best of form with a bat or with a ball,” Shastri said.

“When you bat at number six, you've got to have at least one department solid. But when you're not getting runs and you can't bowl more than five overs, then there's a real problem in the balance of the side.

“So I'm not surprised. Beau Webster, a lot of people were saying should have played earlier, even on Boxing Day.”

The final Test in Sydney carries immense significance, with ICC World Test Championship implications hanging in the balance.

ALSO READ: World Test Championship - State of Play ahead of 2025 final

India must secure a victory to keep their hopes of reaching the WTC25 Final at Lord’s alive.

For Australia, a win would not only guarantee their spot at Lord’s but also deliver the Border-Gavaskar Trophy – something they haven’t held in over a decade.