Preview: Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25

"36 All out! Told ya ... India are going to get hammered in the Test Series ... #AUSvIND #4-0"

"Sometimes you see a performance that mirrors a player's character. This century by Ajinkya Rahane did just that."

"You play the quicks, I'll play the spinner."

"Can't wait to get you to the Gabba Ash"

"2 Test match old Mohammed Siraj will lead India's bowling attack at Gabba."

"Toota hai Gaaba ka ghamand, jeet gayi hai ye mukabla Bharat... Border-Gavaskar Trophy jayegi Gavaskar ke desh!"

"Covid, you have officially been defeated"

If you are a fan of the Indian Cricket Team, you would have likely felt a rush of excitement with these words. They perhaps encapsulate the drama, resilience, and emotions from India's historic victory the last time they toured Australia for a Test series. And now, they're back on Australian shores for the much anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.

Over the last decade, the Border-Gavaskar Trophy has undoubtedly been the biggest, and certainly, the most blockbuster rivalry in Test cricket. This chapter of the Indian and Australian cricketing history began exactly a decade ago in November 2014, when a young Virat Kohli was made India's stand-in captain in the absence of MS Dhoni. Since then, across five thrilling series, we have witnessed unforgettable performances, banter, and stories that are now etched in Cricket's folklore.

Fast-forward to 2024. Suffice it to say, the narratives this time are not how they used to be.

India are not at their best currently and would rather be starting nervously than with hunger and belief. They are coming off a very demoralizing home series loss to New Zealand and are on the verge of being eliminated from the World Test Championship (WTC) final race. On the other hand, Australia too are struggling with their batting and have not played their best cricket at home for some time.

To favor themselves though, Australia have formulated probably the best tour plan possible.

The series kicks off at Optus Stadium, Perth. This is a relatively new ground and Australia have never lost here in four instances. General trends show that teams batting first score big and as the pitch deteriorates, it becomes increasingly difficult to chase anything close to 200. This will be followed by a Day-Night match at Adelaide Oval. Australia have never lost a D/N match here and also, have won all five matches since India defeated them here in 2018. The third Test will be at Gabba, Brisbane, also referred to as Australia's fortress. Despite losing to India and West Indies at this venue recently, they would still back themselves to get a favorable result here.

The Boxing Day Match, as is the tradition, will be at MCG, Melbourne. Although India won the last two times they played here, reports suggest that recently, the MCG pitch has become more and more favorable for fast bowlers with extra bounce and movement on offer. The 5th and the last Test match will be played at SCG, Sydney. SCG has historically been the most favorable ground for Asian teams in Australia. It has relatively less bounce and offers spin-friendly conditions as the game progresses.

With five test matches and larger boundaries in Australia, the team that can manage to make the opposition bowl longest in the first three games might end up having the final say in the series. For India, the absence of Pujara and their recent deflating loss could make it a herculean task to withstand the class of Australia's bowling attack.

This makes Australia strong favorites, and BGT 2024-25, their best chance to lay hands on the trophy again since 2014-15.

It will also be interesting to see if World Test Championship points are on either team's mind. Although at least one of these two teams are most likely to make it to the finals, each result could lead to different sets of teams being in contention for the final race.

When and where to watch?

The first match starts at 7:50 am IST on 22nd November and will be broadcast live on Star Sports Network and Disney+ Hotstar.

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