Getting used to the pace and bounce of Australian pitches will be key if India are to emerge victorious in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy, reckons Yuvraj Singh. The two-time World Cup winner for India feels that a mix of playing attacking cricket and showing doggedness is the perfect combination for a team to succeed in India, referring to how Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant did the former and Cheteshwar Pujara excelled in the latter trait. However, with the veteran India batter no longer in the scheme of things and restricted to commentary duties this time around, it will be interesting to see who performs that role.

Rohit Sharma is not playing the Perth Test, while Gill is out injured because of a fractured finger. This makes the top order slightly inexperienced, with Virat Kohli and KL Rahul the only two batters to have played in Australia before. Who plays, and who doesn't is still uncertain, but rest assured, if Dhruv Jurel and Abhimanyu Easwaran are given a chance, one of them would have to emulate Pujara's marathon stay at the crease from the 2020-21 tour. If India can do that, Yuvraj believes it can be a recipe for success Down Under.

"In day cricket, you have to spend time session by session. If you spend time at the wicket in Australia, you get value for it because the pitches and the bounce are true. Last time, Rishabh Pant and Shubman played attacking cricket. Cheteshwar Pujara stood at the wicket and put his body on the line. Pujara is not known for strokeplay, but he is gutsy. Batters good against the short ball have a good chance to score runs. It would help if you had a mix of everything," Yuvraj told Mid-day.

Rishabh Pant needs to stick to his attacking game: Yuvraj Singh

"We have the batting strength. Pant and Shubman performed well last time. If we have to win in Australia, it’s vital that whenever Rohit [Sharma] comes in after the first Test and Virat Kohli, our leading player, both strengthen the middle order. They have to score runs. Pant is very crucial at No. 5. He has to stick to his game and attack. His shots may not look nice sometimes, but he should continue to attack."

Yuvraj, who has played a big role in Gill's emergence, revealed he spoke to the youngster before India's Test series against New Zealand. Gill knows what it's like to score runs. He scored 259 runs from six innings the last time India played a Test series in Australia and has only grown in stature since. With Gill expected to be fit in time for the second Test, he will be driven by the hunger and desire to succeed in one of the toughest countries to score runs in, Yuvraj pointed out.

"I spoke with him before the New Zealand Test series and told him it’s important to prepare just as he had the last time he played in Australia. It was Covid time, and I had worked with him for 19 days. He is more experienced now, and his work ethic is excellent. He will prepare well for this series because he’s hungry to get his first overseas ton," he added.

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