Former Indian chief selector MSK Prasad has batted for India's vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane and stated that people shouldn't forget his great displays in Australia when several seniors were absent from the team. He also added that he's a proven player and a better performer than most outside India.

Dinesh Karthik has thrown his weight behind R Ashwin and stated that he's an absolute legend of the game, with the criticism around his SENA displays unfair. He also added that in overseas conditions, the pace bowlers have done a great job and that reduces the role of a spinner to bowling tightly.

Former Indian seamer Lakshmipathy Balaji believes that Mohammed Siraj is the perfect back-up for Jasprit Bumrah, and is of the opinion that the newcomer is very ‘identical’ to the latter. Balaji further opined that India have now figured out a method to win matches even without their seniors.

Ian Chappell has stated that India are one of the few teams in the world of cricket that have enough skilled pacers to meet modern-day challenges. He also cited how Australian pacers were completely burned out in the final stages of the series against India after playing all the Tests.