Pat Cummins hopes Australia can beat India to win Border-Gavaskar Trophy

Australian captain Pat Cummins hopes his team can make amends for the two Test series defeats they encountered in the hands of the Indian cricket team when the team square-off in a five-match Test series that starts in November this year.

India have retained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in the last four series, with wins coming in Australia in 2018-19 and in 2020-21.

The wins against Australia in Australia are termed as historic given how challenging the conditions are for visiting teams and how strong Australia are at home.

While India will be eying a hat-trick of series wins against Australia in Australia, Cummins hoped they have the mettle in them to upset India’s applecart. “The last two series here in Australia, we haven’t been successful, so it has been a long time. Hopefully, it is time to make amends,” the Australian captain told Star Sports, the official broadcaster of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy Down Under.

Cummins said while the teams have played each other many times, his team would draw confidence from the fact that they beat India in the World Test Championship Final in neutral conditions. “You know, we have played India plenty of times where they have beaten us, but we have also had plenty of wins against them as well, which we’ll draw confidence from. The most recent Test match was, of course, the World Test Championship (Final) in neutral conditions, and we came out on top in that match,” Cummins said.

He said while the Test series remains fiercely competitive, it is always a 50-50 affair. “It’s always fiercely competitive, and it always feels like it’s 50-50. I am 10 out of 10 excited for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy,” he added.

The Border-Gavaskar Trophy will commence in Perth on November 22. The Test series now moves to a five-Test match series as against the traditional four Test match affair that the teams have been playing since the inception of the trophy.

While Perth hosts the first Test, the Adelaide Oval will hold the second Test, a traditional day-night Test, from December 6. The Gabba in Brisbane will host the third Test from December 14 while the caravan moves to Melbourne for the fourth Test, which commences on Boxing Day. The New Year Test will be played at the Sydney Cricket Ground from January 3, 2025.