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India and Australia are all set to contest in the much-awaited Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The five-match test series between the cricket powerhouses begins from November 22 in Perth.
Interestingly, the last four red-ball series between both teams have seen India secure victory on all occasions. The Australian team registered a series victory on their home soil in the 2014/15 edition, and would look to make a bounceback in this series.
Furthermore, the top two spots of WTC standings will also be in line for both teams. Currently, India are at second position with a point percentage of 58.33 after facing a 3-0 series defeat against New Zealand and will have to win most of the games to qualify for WTC final.
Meanwhile, Australia are at the top of the table with a point percentage of 62.50. They need to win five of their remaining seven games to seal a place in the WTC final. After this series, they will tour Sri Lanka for a two-match test assignment to cap off their schedule in the current WTC cycle.
Schedule of Border-Gavaskar Trophy
1st Test: November 22-26, Opus Stadium, Perth | Start: 7:50 AM IST
2nd Test (Day-Night): December 6-10, Adelaide | Start: 9:30 AM IST
3rd Test: December 14-18, Gabba, Brisbane | Start: 5:50 AM IST
4th Test: December 26-30 (Boxing Day Test), Melbourne | Start: 5:00 AM IST
5th Test: January 3-7 (New Year’s Test), Sydney | Start: 5:00 AM IST
Border-Gavaskar Trophy: Key Players
India
Jasprit Bumrah
In the absence of Rohit Sharma in the first test, Bumrah will captain the Indian side. In seven tests in Australia, the right-arm pacer has scalped 32 wickets at an average of 21.25. With an inexperienced pace bowling unit barring Mohammed Siraj, Bumrah will play a key role for the Indian team in securing breakthroughs.
Virat Kohli
The 36-year-old is the top-scorer in the BGT history among the players participating in the series. He has 1,979 runs in 24 games at an average of 48.26, with eight centuries. Despite him going through a rough patch, Kohli is expected to bring his best in the series.
Yashasvi Jaiswal
The second-highest run-scorer in the current WTC cycle with 1,407 runs in 26 innings at an average of 56.28, Yashasvi Jaiswal will be the most important batter for the visitors. He will be vital to provide a strong start to the Indian side against a strong Australian attack.
Australia
Travis Head
Head is the most dangerous batter on the world stage for quite some time. After his 2023 World Cup exploits, he continued his strong showing in the IPL 2024 as well. Meanwhile, the southpaw holds an average of around 42 in the red-ball format. He will open for Australia and possess a potential to give a flying start to them.
Nathan Lyon
The veteran spinner is the highest-wicket taker in BGT history with 116 scalps in 26 games, with top figures of 8/50. Lyon has the skills and knowledge of the surfaces across all venues, and will look to continue his impressive record against India.
Steve Smith
One of the greatest test batters of this generation, Steve Smith has amassed 9,685 runs at an average of 57 in 109 appearances, with 32 centuries. He will bat at No. 4 and could be a tough nut to crack for the Indian bowlers, due to his unconventional playing style.
Border-Gavaskar Trophy squads
India
Rohit Sharma (c), Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (WK), R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar.
Reserves: Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini, Khaleel Ahmed.
Australia Squad for 1st Test
Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Nathan McSweeney, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc.
