India tour of Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which begins in Perth on Friday, cricketing heavyweights India and Australia will rekindle their intense rivalry in a five-match Test series. As some of the biggest names in cricket, including Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Mitchell Starc, Jasprit Bumrah, Pat Cummins, and Steve Smith, come to the field for seven and a half weeks of Test cricket action in the Australian summer, millions of fans worldwide are anticipated to watch the series.
What is the Border-Gavaskar Trophy’s complete schedule of matches?
Perth Stadium will host the first test on November 22–26, 2024, from 10:20 am (02:20 GMT) to 5:20 pm (09:20 GMT).
Adelaide Oval will host the second test on December 6–10, 2024, from 2:30 pm (04:00 GMT) to 10 pm (11:30 GMT).
Brisbane Cricket Ground will host the third test on December 14–18, 2024, from 10:20 am (00:20 GMT) to 5:20 pm (07:20 GMT).
Melbourne Cricket Ground will host the fourth test on December 26–30, 2024, from 10:30 am (11:30 GMT) to 5:30 pm (18:30 GMT).
Sydney Cricket Ground will host the fifth test on January 3–7, 2025, from 10:30 am (11:30 GMT) to 5:30 pm (18:30 GMT).
What is at risk in the Test series between Australia and India?
In addition to the material prize of a gleaming golden trophy, both teams will compete for a spot in the 2025 World Test Championship (WTC) final.
While an Australian victory might signal a transfer of power to the Southern Hemisphere, an Indian series victory could solidify their Test supremacy over their opponents.
Australia’s squad
Usman Khawaja, Nathan McSweeney, Travis Head, Steve Smith, Alex Carey (wicketkeeper), Mitchell Marsh, Josh Inglis (wicketkeeper), Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, and Scott Boland are the players for the first test.
India’s squad
The following players are involved in the series: Mohammad Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (wicketkeeper), and Rohit Sharma (captain).
How can Australia and India make it to the 2025 World Test Championship final?
Prior to the first match, Australia leads India by 4.2 percentage points on the WTC standings, which is based on percentage points. India is currently on 58.33 points, while the current champions are on 62.50 points.
All five of the top five teams are expected to play at least one Test series each until the WTC final in June, with Sri Lanka (55.56), New Zealand (54.55), and South Africa (54.17) separated by 1.39 points.
India needs to defeat Australia by at least 4-0 in order to advance without relying on the outcomes of other series.
To guarantee their spot in a second consecutive WTC final, the hosts must win five of their final seven Test matches. Australia would need to defeat Sri Lanka (away) 1-0 if they were to defeat India 4-0.
