Hayden praised Indian pacer Prasidh Krishna for his performance in a recent unofficial Test match against Australia A but pointed to Akash Deep as a strong contender to fill Mohammed Shami’s role in the Indian lineup.

“Prasidh Krishna did very well in the unofficial Test match, but for me, Akash Deep is the closest replacement for Shami’s type of role,” Hayden remarked.

Highlighting Akash Deep’s potential, Hayden added, “I think he will go very well in Perth and Adelaide,” referencing the conditions at two venues that often favour pace bowlers.

With the Border-Gavaskar Trophy approaching, Hayden’s observations add to the anticipation as both teams finalize their lineups for the high-stakes series.

The first Test between India and Australia will kickstart from Friday at Perth’s Optus Stadium. Both sides, placed at the top two spots of the ICC World Test Championship points tally will be aiming to make their chances for the final stronger. While India seeks to bounce back after a rare, but humiliating home setback against New Zealand, Australia would be aiming to avoid a hat-trick of series losses to India at home.

After the series opener in Perth on November 22, the second Test, featuring the day-night format, will take place under lights at Adelaide Oval from December 6 to 10. Fans will then turn their attention to The Gabba in Brisbane for the third Test from December 14 to 18.

The traditional Boxing Day Test, scheduled from December 26 to 30 at Melbourne’s iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground, will mark the series’ penultimate stage. The fifth and final Test will be held at the Sydney Cricket Ground from January 3 to 7, promising an exciting climax to a highly anticipated series.

India’s squad for Border-Gavaskar Series: Rohit Sharma , Jasprit Bumrah , Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammad Shami, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel , Sarfaraz Khan, Virat Kohli, Prasidh Krishna, Rishabh Pant , KL Rahul, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar.

Australia squad for the first Test: Pat Cummins , Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Nathan McSweeney, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc.

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