IND vs AUS Test series, popularly known as the Border-Gavaskar trophy, is one of the most eagerly anticipated fixtures in Test cricket. Both teams have a great history, as Test matches between India and Australia have always lived up to the hype. India has won the last three Border-Gavaskar trophy series.
IND vs AUS Test – Schedule
Australia, the ICC No 1 ranked team, will play a four-match Test series in India beginning on February 9. India had the last laugh when it hosted Australia at home last time. In 2017, India hit back after losing the first Test to win the series 2-1. Cheteshwar Pujara and Steve Smith excelled with the bat in that series. Meanwhile, Ravindra Jadeja bagged the player of the series award with 25 wickets in four matches.
India grabbed a thrilling series win in Australia in the latest Border-Gavaskar series. After an embarrassing defeat at Adelaide Oval, Ajinkya Rahane-led India clinched a thumping eight-wicket win in Melbourne. The third Test ended in a draw, while Rishabh Pant’s heroics saw India chase down 329 on the final day of the fourth Test and seal a memorable second successive series win in Australia.
IND vs AUS Test Series Schedule
IND vs AUS Test – Squads
India will be without Rishabh Pant for the Australia Test series after the young wicketkeeper-batter suffered several injuries in a car accident last month. He is likely to be sidelined for a few months. SuryakumarYadav, Ishan Kishan, and KS Bharat have made it to the 17-member squad.
Fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah, too, will miss the first two Test matches. The 29-year-old is undergoing rehabilitation and is expected to play some part in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Rohit Sharma will lead the side, and fans will be hopeful that Ravindra Jadeja, who hasn’t played since Asia Cup, will join Ravichandran Ashwin in the spin department. Both players have taken 99 wickets between them against Australia. The fast bowling options are Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, and Jaydev Undakat.
India squad (for first two Test matches)
Australia, who breezed past South Africa at home recently, has announced its squad for the tour of India. Pat Cummins, who led the team to a series win in Pakistan last year, will captain the visiting tourists, who also have a few injury worries. Mitchell Starc will miss the first Test due to a finger injury, while Cameron Green, too, is recovering from a finger injury. Both players have been included in the 18-man squad.
Uncapped Lance Morris and Todd Murphy are part of the squad. Morris, a fast bowler, has produced impressive performances for Western Australia in the Sheffield Shield. Off-spinner Murphy earned his call-up after his stellar show in the opening three fixtures of the Sheffield Shield. Nathan Lyon, Ashton Agar, and Mitchell Swepson are other spin options in the squad.
Australia squad
Pat Cummins (captain), David Warner, Steve Smith (vice-captain), Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Starc, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Ashton Agar, Josh Hazlewood, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Peter Handscomb, Travis Head, Lance Morris, Todd Murphy, Matthew Renshaw, Mitchell Swepson.
Match Venues
Nagpur’s Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) Stadium will host the opening match in India vs Australia Test cricket series. It was in 2017 the VCA Stadium last hosted a red-ball international fixture. India crushed a below-par Sri Lanka by an innings and 239 runs courtesy of Virat Kohli’s double-hundred and an eight-wicket haul from Ravichandran Ashwin.
Both teams will travel to Delhi for the second Test match. The famous Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium, now Arun Jaitley Stadium, hasn’t hosted a Test match in more than four years. Sri Lanka held India to a draw in the latest Test match played at the venue, the last Test of the series against Sri Lanka. Kohli registered his highest Test score of 243 in that match.
Australia won’t have pleasant memories at Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala. The Kangaroos suffered an eight-wicket thrashing at the hands of India at the lone Test match played at the venue in 2016. Steve Smith scored a hundred in the first innings, while Ravindra Jadeja shone with bat and ball.
The Border-Gavaskar 2023 Test series will culminate at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, refurbished and opened in 2021. India eased past England in the two Test matches played at the venue two years ago. Axar Patel grabbed three five-wicket hauls and ended up with 20 wickets in four innings.
Way forward
You can follow the predictions on Yolo247 Blogs. Will India win another red-ball series at home? or will Australia be able to regain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy? Read all the latest updates on the IND vs AUS Test series on Yolo247 news.
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