Fast bowlers, according to star batsman Marnus Labuschagne, make India a “difficult” team to beat in Australian conditions as the hosts attempt to snap an almost ten-year drought in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
India has defeated Australia in every bilateral Test series since suffering a 1-2 loss on the road in 2014–15. To stay atop, they have won identical 2-1 series down under in 2018–19 and 2020–21.
“What really brings them in Australian conditions and makes them such a tough team to beat in Australian conditions is their fast bowling,” Labuschagne said Star Sports.
Regardless of the venue, the middle-order mainstay described the rivalry as “tough.”
“Anticipation is usually high. Whether we’re playing in England, Australia, or India, it’s always going to be a hard match for these two sides,” he stated.
Australia’s Nathan Lyon, who aspires to rekindle his on-field rivalry with India’s Ravichandran Ashwin, called Indian players “superstars”.
“I’ve always stated my desire to compete against the best throughout my career, and when you look at the entire Indian lineup, you can see true superstars everywhere,” he remarked.
“I am familiar with Ashwin; we made our debuts at roughly the same periods and have faced off in several series. All I have to say about him is respect. It’s been an absolute pleasure to play against and learn from him as he is a true master of the art of off-spin bowling, Lyon remarked.
The five-Test series between Australia and India, which begins in Perth on November 22nd, according to all-rounder Cameron Green, may serve as a “preview” for the World Test Championship final the following year.
The WTC table for the 2023–25 cycle shows India in the top with 68.52 percentage points and 74 points. Australia comes in second with 90 points and 62.50 percentage points.
The WTC final, which takes place at Lord’s from June 11–15 of the following year, may once again include the top two teams in the standings.
India has participated in the WTC summit matches on both occasions, but has fallen short against Australia (2021–23) and New Zealand (2019–21).
“For the World Test Championship, every single point is pretty important. We’ll try to take whatever steps you can to kind of (or) get a notion of (to) get one up on your opponent, said Green.
“If it is a bit of a preview for a World Test Championship final again, yeah, we’ve been trying to get as much information out of India and see how we can win it again,” he added.
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