India tour of Australia, 2024-25: The first match of the 5-match Test series (Border Gavaskar Trophy) between India and Australia will be played on 22 November at Perth Stadium, Australia.
| Match | India vs Australia (IND vs AUS) |
| League | Australia vs India Test |
| Date | Friday, 22nd November 2024 |
| Time | 07:50 AM (IST) - 02:20 AM (GMT) |
The 5-match Test series between India and Australia is going to start in Perth from Friday. This series is very important for both the teams to reach the final of the World Test Championship. India needs a 4-0 win, while Australia only has the challenge of winning. The Indian team has reached there after losing and will have to do something extra to get back on track. In such a situation, the young and experienced Team India will face a big challenge from the Australian quartet on the bouncy pitch of Perth. 11 years ago Australia won the Test series against India. Since then Team India has dominated continuously.
Talking about Team India, players like Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ravichandran Ashwin will be in focus. Pant's last tour was memorable. Virat is going through bad form but his performance in Australia raises hopes that he will come out of this phase. This is the first tour for Jaiswal while Pant enjoys batting here. One of the reasons behind the defeat in the series against New Zealand was Ashwin's inability to perform. In such a situation, a lot will depend on Ashwin.
Also Read: BGT: 3 Australian batsmen who have scored the most Test runs at Perth Stadium
Australia (AUS) Possible Playing 11: 1. Nathan McSweeney, 2. Usman Khawaja, 3. Marnus Labuschagne, 4. Steven Smith, 5. Travis Head, 6. Mitchell Marsh, 7. Alex Carey(WK), 8. Pat Cummins(C), 9. Mitchell Starc, 10. Nathan Lyon, 11. Josh Hazlewood
India (IND) Possible Playing 11: 1. Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2. Lokesh Rahul(WK), 3. Virat Kohli, 4. Rishabh Pant(WK), 5. Sarfaraz Khan, 6. Dhruv Jurel(WK), 7. K Nitesh Reddy, 8. Ravindra Jadeja, 9. Mohammed Siraj, 10. Akash Deep, 11. Jasprit Bumrah(C)
Perth is known for its pace and bounce. However, Optus Stadium uses a drop-in pitch that is prepared away from the ground and later levelled to the square. This leaves scope for making subtle changes to the nature of the wicket.
This is evident from the improved efficiency of spinners after the switch from WACA to Optus Stadium. At WACA, spinners had taken 229 wickets in 44 matches at an average of 44. In comparison, spinners at the new Perth Stadium have taken 37 wickets at an average of 33. The average first innings score is 457 runs, but this time around, a score of 300-350 could also be challenging due to more grass on the pitch.
Despite less help for spinners, fast bowlers have dominated at Perth Stadium, taking 102 wickets at an average of 29.71. The fast bowlers have also been used extensively, bowling 1014 overs as compared to 393 overs by the spinners. The pitch curator at Optus Stadium said the wicket will again provide favourable conditions for the fast bowlers.
Batting first will be beneficial on the Perth pitch. The team batting first has won all four Test matches played on this ground.
According to Accuweather.com, there is little chance of rain in the first match of India-Australia to be played in Perth. However, the humidity is expected to be quite high (over 70%) in the early hours of the morning on Friday, which means there is a possibility that the weather may change slightly by evening. However, there is a chance of rain (25%) on the third day of the match.
According to BBC Weather, there is no possibility of rain on the first day. According to the Meteorological Department, there are expectations of "sunshine and light wind" around 10:20 am. The highest chance of rain is only 3% around noon.
Also Read: Top 3 biggest controversies in Border Gavaskar Trophy history
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