Pat Cummins, the captain of the Australian cricket team, has shared his thoughts on the highly anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy, stating that the contest between India and Australia feels like a 50-50 battle. Meanwhile, star batsman Steve Smith expressed his excitement for what promises to be a thrilling summer of cricket.
Discussing the upcoming series with Star Sports, Cummins reminisced about their recent successes and setbacks. “The most recent Test match was, of course, the World Test Championship in neutral conditions, and we came out on top in that match. It’s always fiercely competitive, and it always feels like it’s 50-50. I’m 10 out of 10 excited for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy,” declared the Australian skipper with palpable enthusiasm.
The stakes are notably high, as Australia aims to reclaim the trophy they last held during the 2014-15 series. The past two series held in Australia have ended in disappointment for the home team and Cummins is determined to reverse this trend. “The last two series here in Australia, we haven’t been successful, so it’s been a long time. Hopefully, it’s time to make amends. You know, we’ve played them plenty of times where they’ve beaten us, but we’ve also had plenty of wins against them as well, which we’ll draw confidence from,” he further commented.
In recent years, India has dominated the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, winning the last few editions both at home and in Australia. Australia’s performance in the previous series was not up to the mark, which adds an extra layer of pressure on the team to deliver this time around.
Steve Smith, sharing his perspective, noted the formidable challenge that awaits. “It’s going to be a great series. You know, India have been playing outstanding cricket. We’ve been playing really good cricket the last couple of years. You know, we haven’t beaten India in the last two times they’ve come out here.
. They’ve obviously got a terrific side, very well-balanced team, all bases covered,” he acknowledged.
Smith went on to highlight India’s recent performance on Australian soil and their resilience when playing back home. “They’ve played really good cricket out here. They’ve played good cricket when we’ve been over in India as well, where we know they’re very, very difficult to beat. So it’s going to be a big summer. It’s going to be an exciting one. And yeah, I’m looking forward to it,” he added, projecting an air of readiness and anticipation.
Adding more flavor to the discourse, Mitchell Starc emphasized the significance of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in the cricketing calendar. He equated its importance to that of the Ashes, a historic and highly prestigious series played between Australia and England.
“For Australian cricket, you’ve got the Ashes and then you’ve got the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in there. I mean there’s a long history in the Ashes, but that Border-Gavaskar rivalry, if you like, has just grown from strength to strength over each series and now we see it as a five Test match series which is fantastic for not only the rivalry but for the series as well,” Starc explained.
Starc also underscored the escalating quality of cricket seen in recent years. “Whether it’s the calibre of player, the calibre of matches that we see as fans and as cricketers just continues to grow strength on strength each series and now India obviously winning a number of series in a row, it’s created even a bigger rivalry between the two countries. I mean both teams are well known to one another, we play each other very often across the formats so I’m sure it’ll be another exciting series but one I think that both experienced sides will showcase some fantastic cricket,” he noted.
The heavyweight clash will kick off in Perth on November 22 and will culminate at the iconic Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) from January 3 to 7. In between, the series will move to Adelaide for a pink-ball Test starting December 6, followed by a Test at the Gabba from December 14, and the much-anticipated Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
The anticipation for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy is palpable, with fans and players alike gearing up for what promises to be a riveting contest between two cricketing giants. Only time will tell if Australia can reclaim the trophy or if India will continue their recent dominance in this storied rivalry.