Arguably the most anticipated Test series of the year gets underway with the first match of the Border Gavaskar Trophy, beginning November 22 at Perth’s Optus Stadium. It also marks the first time since 1991-92 that Australia and India are playing a series of five Test matches.
These two teams do not to dull cricket, especially in the five-day format, and Australia are prickling from the fact that they have not managed to win the BGT for a decade. This includes India landing up in Australia and winning back to back Test series, in 2018-19 and then 2020-21.
This time around, the challenge appears greater for an Indian team creaking with aging players and coming off a shock 0-3 loss at home to New Zealand. That result has left Rohit Sharma’s team needing to win four of these five games in Australia to make the World Test Championship final next summer at Lord’s, but right now the focus is on locking in an 11 capable of competing with the hosts in Perth.
With Rohit Sharma unavailable for this match, India look set to pair Yashasvi Jaiswal – on his first tour to Australia – with KL Rahul – on his third, with a Test batting average of 20 in the country – at the top of the batting order. Devdutt Padikkal could slot in for his second Test match after Shubman Gill’s injury opened a slot at No 3, with the left-handed Padikkal’s performances for India A versus Australia A prompting the selectors to keep him back with the Test squad.
Dhruv Jurel looks set for a comeback as well – like Padikkal, he last featured at home against England seven months ago – but as specialist batsmen at No 6, given that Rahul looks set to open the innings.
Morne Morkel, India’s bowling coach, yesterday talked up the skill of the uncapped allrounder Nitish Reddy which suggests that the 21-year-old is in line for a surprise Test debut in Perth. Reddy bowls military medium pace, but Morkel spoke of his deceptive skills in conditions such as Perth and how having him as an allrounder to take pressure off the main three quicks. If Reddy does get the nod, that would seemingly leave room for only one spinner. India have rarely pared up R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja in SENA countries, and it is tough to imagine Jadeja being left out because of what he offers with the bat.
India will be led by Jasprit Bumrah in Rohit’s absence, and who partners him with the new ball has been a topic of much discussion. Mohammed Siraj made his Test debut at the MCG in 2020 and by the time the series had shifted to Brisbane for the decider, he was the leader of the pack. In the last two years, however, Siraj has only 40 wickets from 18 Tests and his erratic bowling and lack of bite have been all too common. Akash Deep has played all his five Tests in India and Prasidh Krishna has just made his return to the Test squad after a lengthy injury layoff. His only two Test caps came in South Africa during the 2023-24 tour, during which he managed a pair of wickets at 65 runs apiece. The final pace option in India’s squad is Harshit Rana, yet to play an international match in any format, and word is that he has been impressive over the past few days.
India have not played a Test match in Perth since the 2018-19 tour, during which the only loss they suffered during that landmark series was at Optus Stadium. The venue’s head curator Isaac McDonald has already openly stated that India will be welcomed with pace, bounce and cracks reminiscent of the famous WACA Stadium across the Swan River.
Optus Stadium has held four Test matches – each won by Australia – and the most recent one was in 2023 when a lively pitch proceeded to break up across the duration of the game. Australia made 487 in their first innings, aided by a hundred to David Warner, but the surface opened with cracks as the Test match went on and several Australians copped body blows. One of them, Marnus Labuschagne, saying after the win that it was one of the toughest tracks he’d ever batted on.
McDonald, however, felt that strip was near-perfect, and his recent statements indicate that both teams can expect more of the same this time.
Australia boast a terrific pace trio in skipper Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc. Then there’s Nathan Lyon, who has claimed 33 wickets from four Tests at Optus Stadium including eight in the home team’s only win of the 2018-19 series against India. This is surely the last time that Cummins, Hazlwood, Starc and Lyon play India in a Test series at home, and you can expect the four of them to go all-out in their quest to avoid a hat-trick of home losses and win back the coveted BGT.
Australia’s 11 for the Perth Test includes one new face, the debutant Nathan McSweeney. The 25-year-old is the only uncapped player under the age of 30 in Australia’s lineup and will also be their first batsman to debut in Tests since Will Pucovski – also against India – did so in January of 2021. McSweeney beat out Marcus Harris, Cameron Bancroft and teenager Sam Konstas to partner Usman Khawaja at the top of the innings, and on Friday will become the first Australian in 47 years to make his Test debut as an opener without doing the job in Sheffield Shield cricket.
