Cricket Australia Looks To Capitalize On IND's Series Loss To NZ With A New Strategy Ahead Of BGT

Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024: The India vs Australia five-match Test series has been talked about for sometime now and it comes at a crucial juncture of the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025 Cycle. India suffered a 3-0 heartbreak at the hands of New Zealand in their home conditions. This series defeat has virtually shut the doors on India's hopes of qualifying for the WTC Finals. India will play Australia next in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Australia on the other hand are desperate to win a Test series against India. Their last victory against the Asian cricketing giants came in 2014 and since then, they have always ended up being on the losing side. In 2023, Australia defeated India in the finals of the World Test Championship and the ODI World Cup and they will fancy their chances of snatching the Border-Gavaskar crown from Rohit Sharma and his men.

Australia Ask Senior Players To Start Preparing For Border-Gavaskar Trophy

The Aussies are currently playing an ODI series against Pakistan at home and lead the series 1-0. Australia play three ODIs against India's arch rivals. The Aussies are very keen to win the second ODI and take an unassailable lead of 2-0. With the Border-Gavaskar Trophy up next for grabs, Cricket Australia has named wicketkeeper-batsman Josh Inglis as Australia's ODI captain. Inglis will also lead the Aussies in a three-match T20I series against the same opposition.

ALSO READ | Ex-Cricketer Shares Intriguing Perspective On Gambhir As Head Coach of India

'Josh is an integral member of the ODI and T20I teams and a highly respected player on and off the field. He has led Australia A previously and will bring strong tactical nous and a positive approach to the role', said national selection panel chairman George Bailey as quoted by Cricket.com.au.

Senior players of the team such as Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne will miss the third and the final ODI against Pakistan as they've been asked to shift their focus to red-ball cricket, especially the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

India Look To Do The Impossible In Australia

ALSO READ | Michael Vaughan's Shocking Prediction on Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma

Gautam Gambhir and Rohit Sharma-led Team India will not only blook to defend the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, but they'll also have the World Test Championship Finals in their sight. A series victory against the Aussies do not guarantee India a berth in the WTC Finals. India can't afford to lose even one match in the five-Test series and have to win 4 games to make a strong case for themselves with regards to the WTC Finals.