"There's a lot of external people who put these doubts in your mind"- Michael Hussey's advice to out-of-form KL Rahul ahead of BGT 2024/25

Former Australian batter Michael Hussey advised struggling Indian batter KL Rahul to trust his game and turn off the external noise ahead of the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy down under. The 32-year-old has been woefully short of runs in the Test arena this year, averaging under 34 in five outings.

Rahul has scored only the lone half-century in his last six Test innings even while playing at home. Despite being a veteran of 53 Tests, the stylish right-hander averages a sub-par 33.87 in his decade-long career.

Speaking to the TOI, Hussey praised Rahul as a fantastic player and advised him to trust his game.

"He's another fantastic player. So I guess, just to trust his game and to be confident with whatever he does, you know that's the most important thing. We know how good he is. And so I guess there's a lot of external people who put these doubts in your mind," he said.

Hussey added:

"I just hope that he just doesn't worry about all the external stuff and just concentrates on his game, his preparation, and just tries to play his best possible cricket, because when he's playing at his best, he's one of the best players in the world. I'm sure if he can start well in the series, get a good score under his belt early, then that'll help his confidence the rest of the series."

Rahul has struggled massively in Tests down under, averaging under 21 in five matches with a lone century and no half-centuries.

"He was a great competitor and he would fight all the way for victory" - Michael Hussey on Gautam Gambhir

Michael Hussey praised under-fire Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir as a great competitior and expected the side to display those qualities under him in Australia.

Gambhir took over as Team India's head coach a few months back but has endured a torrid start to his stint. The side suffered an 0-2 ODI series loss to Sri Lanka after winning the T20Is 3-0.

However, the most surprising result came when India surrendered their 11-year unbeaten home Test series winning streak with the most recent 0-3 defeat to New Zealand.

"He (Gambhir) was a great competitor and he would fight all the way for victory. And so I have no doubt, watching him, sort of being involved with the IPL and teams that he's been involved in, he loves to win, and he loves to compete and I'm not expecting anything different from this Indian team," said Hussey.

He added:

"They've got some great fighters and some great competitors. So I'm sure his personality will come through with the way he coaches. And I think you need to have something like that in in Australian conditions. It's not easy coming to Australia and competing with a strong Australian team."

The blockbuster India-Australia five-Test series will begin with the opening encounter at Perth on November 22.