Sunil Gavaskar on Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and India v England

My first trip to Australia with the Indian team came way back in 1977 when none of the players who played in the just concluded series were even a twinkle in their parents’ eyes.

That was the first year too where most, if not all, the star Australian players were signed up by Kerry Packer for World Series cricket. The Australian team that we played was thus mostly a second-string team with the exception of one Jeff Robert Thomson, quite simply the fastest bowler I squared up to in my career. Australia had recalled Bob Simpson, who had retired about 10 years earlier.

Australia celebrate their 3-1 series win over India. Credit: Getty Images

That series also went down to the wire, with Australia winning the first two narrowly and India coming out on top in the next two Tests before Australia prevailed in the fifth and final Test match, winning by 45 runs after setting us 490 in the fourth innings. Subsequent tours to Australia were either three- or four-Test series. So after 47 years Australia and India played a five-match series and what a humdinger of a series it was, just like the one played way back then.

When the schedule was announced, it appeared the Aussies had decided to put India in the wringer by playing the first three Tests on pitches that suited their pace bowling strength.

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