The countdown begins for the highly anticipated Border Gavaskar Trophy 2024/25 which kicks off at the widely reputed fast-paced Perth Stadium, Perth on November 22nd. The modern-day rivals Australia and India will compete in the 5-match Test series over the next one and half months.
The India Tour of Australia has garnered significant interest from cricketing lovers all over the world. The rivalry between Australia and India almost takes the same place as the Ashes.
The upcoming Australia vs India Test series is happening after a gap of four years on Australian soil. It’s a matter of test of character and skill for the visitors, India in the down under, who previously won twice on their visits with a similar 2-1 result.
The latest victory in 2021, when they breached the Gabba Fortress to hand Australia a defeat at the venue after 32 years, gained a lot of appreciation all over the world.
The schedule for the upcoming Australia vs India has been made in favour of the hosts Australia, who will welcome India at the bounce Perth wicket, and both teams later move to Adelaide for a pink ball contest which is scheduled for December 6-10. The 3rd Test will be played at Gabba Brisbane between December 14-18. The penultimate game of the series will be staged at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), termed as Boxing Day Test which is played between December 26-30. The fifth and final Test is hosted at the Sydney Cricket Ground (January 03-07).
India Tour of Australia 2024-25 Schedule:
1st Test – November 22-26, at 7:50 AM IST (10:20 AM Local Time), Perth Stadium, Perth
2nd Test – December 06-10, at 9:30 AM IST (2:30 PM Local Time), Adelaide Oval, Adelaide
3rd Test – December 14-18, at 5:50 AM IST(10:20 AM Local Time), Gabba, Brisbane
4th Test – December 26-30, at 5:00 AM IST(10:30 AM Local Time), Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
5th Test – January 03-07, at 5:00 AM IST(10:30 AM Local Time), Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney
Australia vs India Team Analysis
Australia Team Preview:
Recent Form: Won, Won, Lost, Won, Won
Squad – Usman Khawaja. Nathan McSweeney, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Mitchell Marsh, Travis Head, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood, Scott Boland, Josh Inglis (wk).
With crucial WTC points up for grabs, Australia, who last played a Test in March this year, will be keen to maximize the home conditions against out-of-form India, who surprisingly lost to New Zealand at home 0-3. The Aussies got the elevation to the pole position in the WTC standings (62.5 PCT), following India’s poor run against the Kiwis.
The selection committee led by former skipper George Bailey has named a full-fledged Australia squad for the opening Test of the most anticipated Australia vs India Border Gavaskar Trophy. Speedster Pat Cummins who won numerous accolades as a player and also as a skipper will lead the side.
There are a couple of fresh call-ups for Nathan McSweeney and Josh Inglis into the Test setup, with the former in the line for his Test debut. Sweeney, 25, represents South Australia in the domestic circuit, drafted into the squad following his success over the last few years. He will pair up with veteran batter Usman Khawaja at the top of the order.
Marnus Labuschagne will bat at his regular No.3 position with Steven Smith will switch back to his usual No.4 spot, after opening the innings in the previous 4 Test matches. Aggressive batter Travis Head, all-rounder Mitchell Marsh, and wicket-keeper Alex Carey will form their middle order.
They have retained their regular bowling combination with 3 seamers and a lone spinner. The trio of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Josh Hazlewood will form their pace unit alongside all-rounder Mitchell Marsh, while Nathan Lyon is the only specialized tweaker in the mix.
The Australians have been badly hurt by how things have gone in the last two outings, when they hosted India in 2018/19 and 2020/21. With an additional Test being introduced this time around, they will hold an advantage heading into the series.
Probable Starting XI for 1st Test – Usman Khawaja. Nathan McSweeney, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Mitchell Marsh, Travis Head, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.
India Team Preview:
Recent Form: Lost, Lost, Lost, Won, Won
Squad – Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Sarfaraz Khan, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Washington Sundar, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Harshit Rana, Prasidh Krishna.
Sometimes high confidence will bring down any team and it goes well with India, who recently lost the 18 Test series winning streak at home, going down 0-3 to New Zealand, who never imagined that they would conquer India in this fashion. Morale in the camp is down, with the head coach being criticized for poor decision-making. The lean patch of the veterans Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli is making things even worse.
Here comes the biggest challenge for Team India as they set for Down Under after a gap of 4 years. They pulled off an incredible 2-1 series win last time, despite missing key players. Plenty of makeover has happened to this Test side with no Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane, who have done exceedingly well in the Australian conditions in the past.
The side has to make plenty of adjustments to their combination for the opening Test, with Rohit Sharma set to miss due to the birth of his second child. Speedster Jasprit Bumrah will step in as the skipper for the high-profile contest and also serve as the leader of the bowling attack.
In another major blow, young batter Shubman Gill has fractured his thumb and will miss the opening game. This means there are huge chances of Abhimanyu Easwaran or Nitish Kumar Reddy making their Test debuts. With the middle order unsettled lately, there is a possibility of bringing in Dhruv Jurel, who has shown great temperament under tough circumstances in the unofficial Tests for India A.
Out of form, KL Rahul will pair up with Yashasvi Jaiswal for the opening slot. Big question mark on who will take the No.3 spot in the absence of Shubman Gill. Star batter, Virat Kohli who is currently out of touch will continue to bat at No.4. Rishabh Pant, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel, and Nitish Kumar Reddy will bat in the middle order.
There is a tough call to make for the management to pick between ace all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin in the starting eleven or will both get a chance we need to wait and watch. Not to forget, Washington Sundar is in the squad and can come in at any point of time in the tour.
Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep will join Jasprit Bumrah in the pace department.
Probable Starting XI for the 1st Test – Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Abhimanyu Easwaran / Dhruv Jurel, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Sarfaraz Khan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja / Ravichandran Ashwin, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah (c), Mohammed Siraj.
AUS vs IND Test Series 2024/25: Players to Watch Out for
Steven Smith
Steven Smith, Australia’s reliable batter will be keen to make merry of runs against tough opponents India at home. He requires another 315 runs to reach the landmark of 10000 runs in Test cricket. He will make his way back to his regular No.4 spot after experimenting with fewer Tests in the opening slot. Smith holds a staggering record against India in the longest format, amassing 2042 runs in 19 Tests at an average of 65.87 which comprises 9 centuries.
In the previous AUS vs IND Test series Down Under, he finished as the second leading run-scorer with a tally of 313 runs in 4 matches, averaging 44.71 with the best score of 131.
Virat Kohli
Never write off Virat Kohli when he is out of form as the prolific batter knows how to make a comeback from the lowest points. His stats are outrageous in the Test format where he gathered 9040 runs in 118 matches at an average of 254*. His numbers in the format are not that big in the recent past and still has all the qualities of a true match-winner. Kohli has featured in 13 Tests in Australia and has mustered 1352 runs at an average of 54.08 which includes 6 Test centuries.
He is going to be the key performer for India in the upcoming AUS vs IND Test series.
AUS vs IND Winner Prediction
India won the series 2-1 when they toured Australia in 2018/19 and 2020/21, while Australia on the other hand is not ready to give up this time around under new leader Pat Cummins. We can anticipate a neck-to-neck contest throughout the India Tour of Australia 2024/25, and we at cricket betting predict India to come out on top with a 2-1 margin in the 5-match series.
How many times did India beat Australia in the Test series?
Australia and India have gone head to head against each other in 28 bilateral Test series, with the former coming out on top on 12 occasions. India on the contrary wasn’t left behind as they won 11 times, while 5 series have ended in a draw.
What if India loses against Australia?
India is currently placed 2nd in the WTC standings with a PCT of 58.33, if they lose in the upcoming AUS vs IND Test series badly either 4-0 or 3-1, they might miss out on qualifying for next year’s WTC Final which is scheduled at the iconic Lord’s.
Both Australia and India on paper look compact with a talented bunch of players on both sides. It will be a battle between the Aussie pace attack and the Indian batting unit, which will serve as entertainment for the fans. Get started with your cricket betting journey on GUGOBET – The best cricket betting app.
