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Legendary batter Sunil Gavaskar has predicted a 3-1 win for India over Australia in this year highly-awaited Border-Gavaskar Trophy. India have won the last two editions of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy held in Australia in 2018/19 and 2020/21 respectively. The 2024/25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy will see India and Australia squaring off in the all-important five-match series at Perth, Adelaide (pink-ball game), Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney, respectively.
It’s going to be an exciting series for sure with the talent that is there on both sides and it will also show why Test match cricket is the ultimate format of our beloved game. Oh, and my prediction is a 3-1 win for India,” wrote Gavaskar in his column for Sunday Mid-day.
He also feels Australia will miss the services of left-handed opener David Warner, who retired from international cricket earlier this year. Since then, Steve Smith and Usman Khawaja have opened the innings for Australia in Tests, but they have averaged just 21.3 in seven innings.
With their opening batting problems exacerbated after the retirement of David Warner and the middle-order also a bit dodgy, the Aussies are ripe for the taking once again. India being usual slow starters in an overseas series in SENA countries the first Test will be crucial. That they aren’t playing proper first class games before that as well as in the week long gaps between some Test matches could work against them. That said, it is how schedules are nowadays for most touring sides,” added Gavaskar.
With a few already predicting Australia as early favourites to win the trophy, Gavaskar offered some advice on the mind games played ahead of the series starting on November 22, which will also be the first five-match Test series between the two teams since 1991/92.
The five Test matches that India play (at home) before they go to Australia will be good for the mental tuning that is required for a tough tour like that. Already the mind games have begun with Australian players, both current and former, airing their views about what the result would be. While they (Australia) are not making Glenn McGrath-like statements of a clean sweep they are still suggesting that Australia will prevail. Sadly, apart from Ravi Shastri, no other former or current player has seen to counter the mind games which the Aussies are so good at.”
Maybe Ravichandran Ashwin should start telling us about a special delivery that he is developing for Steve Smith, that is, of course, if he continues to open the batting and can survive Jasprit Bumrah,” he concluded.
R Ashwin special delivery for Steve Smith teased by Sunil Gavaskar
Test series between India and Australia tend to be spicy affairs due to the rich rivalry between the two sides.
With the2024 T20 World Cupdone and dusted, India’s upcoming tour of Australia for a five-match Test series is arguably the most anticipated cricket event of the year. The fact that Australia have not been able to beat India in a Test series since 2015 only adds to an already spicy rivalry.
Test series between the two sides tend to be replete with mind games before and during the matches and it hasn’t been too different this year. A number of former Australian players have admitted that it will be an event contest, with Geoff Lawson even stating that it could be the greatest series of this century thus far, but backed their side to come out on top. Former India captain and batting greatSunil Gavaskarhas lamented the fact that there hasn’t been a repost from the visiting side yet but then went on to provide a bit of a counter-punch himself.
Already the mind games have begun with Australian players both current and former airing their views about what the result would be,” wrote Gavaskar in his column for Mid-Day. “While they (Australia) are not making Glenn McGrath-like statements of a clean sweep they are still suggesting that Australia will prevail. Sadly, apart from Ravi Shastri no other former or current player has seen to counter the mind games which the Aussies are so good at.
Gavaskar then said that perhaps Ravichandran Ashwin could do something in this matter. Maybe Ravichandran Ashwin should start telling us about a special delivery that he is developing for Steve Smith, that is of course if he continues to open the batting and can survive Jasprit Bumrah,” Gavaskar wrote.
Five Home Test Matches Good for Mental Tuning
The first Test in Australia begins only on November 1, before which India will be hosting Bangladesh and New Zealand at home. Apart from Ashwin, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah and captain Rohit Sharma, all India regulars are playing in the Duleep Trophy and in some cases smaller domestic tournaments before that, to prepare for the home series. India host Bangladesh for two Tests followed by New Zealand for three.
The five Test matches that India play (at home) before they go to Australia will be good for the mental tuning that is required for a tough tour like that,” wrote Gavaskar.
Sunil Gavaskar Predicts India will win Border Gavaskar Trophy by 3-1 Margin
India will travel to Australia for the five-match Test series this year. The latter have not beaten the former since the 2014/15 series. (Australia win 2-0). The Men In Blue have won the last two series (2020/21 and 2018/19) against Australia away from home and additionally have also been dominant against them at home (2017 and 2023) beating as many times.
Former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar predicted India to win the series once again with a scoreline of 3-1. It’s going to be an exciting series for sure with the talent that is there on both sides and it will also show why Test match cricket is the ultimate format of our beloved game. Oh and my prediction is a 3-1 win for India,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for the mid-day.
With their opening batting problems exacerbated after the retirement ofDavid Warnerand the middle-order also a bit dodgy, the Aussies are ripe for the taking once again,” reasoned Gavaskar.
Gavaskar would also emphasise that the lack of first-class games ahead of the series might cause India to start slowly yet again. India being usual slow starters in an overseas series in SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand, Australia) countries the first Test will be crucial. That they aren’t playing proper first-class games before that as well as in the week long gaps between some Test matches could work against them,” he wrote.
That said, it is how schedules are nowadays for most touring sides. It is tough on inexperienced newcomers as Yashasvi Jaiswal found in South Africa last year. He came back brilliantly with over 700 runs against England at home,” Gavaskar wrote. India for the first time since 1991-92 with the first Test slated to be played at the Perth Stadium from November 22-26. The second Test, a day-night pink-ball affair, will be held in the first week of December at the Adelaide Oval.
The third Test will be held at The Gabba in Brisbane followed by the customary Boxing Day Test at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground from December 26-30, 2024 and will conclude with the fifth Test in Sydney in January 2025.
