Australia VS India 1st Test Venue: Perth Stadium, Perth
Australia VS India 1st Test Dates: Thursday, November 22 to Tuesday, November 26
Australia VS India 1st Test Odds:
History
Australia is looking to take back the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the first time since 2014-15 as it hosts India in a five-match series that begins in Perth on Thursday.
India has won four series in a row over Australia, winning the trophy back in 2016-17 and most recently successfully defending in 2022-23. This will be a five-Test series, with Tests at the Adelaide Oval (Adelaide), The Gabba (Brisbane), MCG (<Melbourne, and SCG (Sydney) to follow.
Expect this series to be a battle of attrition. The final balls are scheduled to be bowled on January 7 in Sydney, making this a month and a half of almost continual Test cricket. Australia and India haven’t played each other in a five-Test series since 1992, four years before the Border-Gavaskar Trophy was first battled over in 1996-97. This means we are entering new ground for both squads of players.
Australia
Nathan McSweeney seems to be the player most likely to open the batting for the Aussies alongside Usman Khawaja in this series. He has seemingly beaten out Marcus Harris for the spot after a successful start to his domestic cricket season.
This switch happened after Steve Smith dropped back into his preferred spot at No. 4 ahead of this series. With Cameron Green injured for the series, the prime spot at the top of the order was wide open. The success, or lack of success, of McSweeney will be huge over the next month and a half of Test cricket.
India
India knows this will be a Test series in which the whole squad will be tested. They initially named 18 players to the squad, adding three additional players as traveling reserves. Injuries in the interim have seen a further two players called up to the touring party, with no player being injured to the extent that they have had to drop out. This talented and deep group of players will give the selectors plenty of options to play with should they so choose.
One player who will not see the field during the first Test is white-ball vice-captain Shubman Gill. The Gujarat Titans top-order right-hander will miss at least the Perth date due to a fractured left thumb he sustained during an intra-squad training match in preparation for this series. Rohit Sharma will also miss this one after recently becoming a father.
Best Bets
Virat Kohli watch will be in full effect. The legendary batter has averaged under 21 runs per inning over his last 10 Test innings. Those innings have been full of cheap outs, suggesting Kohli is struggling with his game’s physical and mental sides.
It is amazing that Khlhi is still the 3/1 favorite to be the top bat in the India lineup. That is the level to which he is held within the game. I would lean towards a KL Rahul at 23/5 over Kholi, but it would add another chapter to his legacy if the legend breaks out of his slump in time to shine here.
McSweeney is 23/4 to top score on debut. A more reasonable bet would be the always-consistent Marnus Labuschagne at 7/2.
