Ravichandran Ashwin retired from international cricket midway through the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy with the series tied at 1-1. With the matches in Melbourne and Sydney coming up, many even thought that India would win the series. However, the comeback of a certain player for the final two Tests turned the tide in the hosts' favor, ultimately leading to a 3-1 series win. That player was pacer Scott Boland. Looking back, Ashwin felt that India would have won the series had Boland not played.
Boland took 21 wickets in three Tests in the series and finished as the third highest wicket-taker. He particularly played a starring role in the final Test, taking 10 wickets and being named 'Player of the Match'.
Ashwin concluded that Josh Hazlewood's injury, which allowed Boland to get back into the side for the final two Tests, was a blessing in disguise.
“Everyone said Pat Cummins had a great series but he struggled against left-handers. Australia was lucky to have Scott Boland in the team. If Boland had not played, India would have won the series,” Ashwin said. on his Hindi YouTube channel Ash ki Baat.
“No offense to Josh Hazlewood; he is a fantastic bowler. But if they had continued with the same attack, we would have won. Boland's round-the-wicket deliveries to our left-handers were a major factor,” Ashwin added.
India's batting line-up in Test cricket is packed with left-handers in the form of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar. Boland dismissed Jaiswal and Pant a couple of times in the series, while also feasting on Virat Kohli's wicket on a regular basis.
At 35, Boland may already be at the business end of his career, but he has made himself a real contender to break into Australia's famed pace trio for good. In 13 Tests, Boland has taken 56 wickets at an astonishing average of just 17.66.
Topics mentioned in this article
