BGT 2024-25: Rain threatens India’s preparation for Perth Test

Visitors Team India have trained for a week so far ahead of the first Test against Australia in Perth, starting on November 22. Plenty of players have impressed the team management thus far, as youngsters Nitish Kumar Reddy and Harshit Rana are in contention to make debuts while Devdutt Padikkal is being considered as a backup option if required. However, the unavailability of the Captain, Rohit Sharma, and Shubman Gill remains a huge matter of concern.

Amid this, India’s preparation for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT 2024-25) is expected to be disrupted by rain. As per the weather report, rain clouds loom large in Perth and it is expected to rain from November 19-21. In that case, the visitors won’t be practising for three straight days before the first Test. There are multiple players in the Indian camp that will play senior cricket for the first time in Australia and it’s concerning if they aren’t able to practice enough before the first Test.

Meanwhile, as per AccuWeather, the opening day of the Perth Test is expected to be cloudy. India recently hosted New Zealand in such conditions in Bengaluru last month and in which, they were bundled for only 46 runs in the first innings. They had difficulty in playing under overcast conditions and in that case, the toss is going to be an important affair as both teams will be looking to bowl first, especially as the surface in Perth heavily favours the pacers.

Weather conditions to aid batters in Perth from Day 2

The rest of the days are expected to be sunny, which is better for the batters. Following a 3-0 series defeat at home to New Zealand, the Indian players are already on the backfoot and on top of that, several of their key players will be missing the opening game of the series.

Also Read- BGT 2024-25: Schedule, squads, live streaming, broadcasters & all you need to know

For Australia, it’s only Cameron Green that will miss the series, owing to a stress fracture in his lower back. In his absence, Steve Smith will be back at four, while Nathan McSweeney will be tested at the top of the order alongside Usman Khawaja.