The individual battles on India’s tour of Australia later this year will spice up the contest, which will see a five-Test series for the Border Gavaskar Trophy.
India are currently sitting on top of the World Test Championship (WTC) table for the 2023-2025 cycle that will culminate with the final at Lord’s in June next year.
Australia are next to India at number two presently, and both the teams will look to stay in the top two to qualify for the final, which will be a repeat of the last WTC title clash where Australia defeated India to be crowned champions.
Talking about the mini battles expected in the series, some of the top Australian players were asked to name an Indian player that they enjoy their battle with.
While the Australian Test skipper and fast bowler Pat Cummins is looking forward to another face-off with Shubman Gill, Mitchell Starc picked Virat Kohli over India captain, Rohit Sharma, who had smashed the Australian pacer for 29 runs in an over during their T20 World Cup match in June this year.
“We have played a lot of cricket against one another,” said Starc on a Star Sports video about his encounters with Kohli. “I have always had some good battles. I’ve managed to get him out once or twice and he has no doubt scored a fair few runs against me. So it’s always a good contest and one we both enjoy.”
Among the Indian bowlers, off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is being seen as a threat by opener Travis Head and former skipper Steven Smith.
“A very good bowler, very skillful,” Smith said about Ashwin, who has taken more than 500 Test wickets. “He can bowl different balls in different ways with different seams in whatever the conditions entail. He’s a quality performer and has been for a very long time.”
Head couldn’t agree more with his senior teammate.
“He (Ashwin) is all over you all the time…It’s always nice to try and play well against the best bowlers,” the opener reckoned.
Batsman Marnus Labuschagne is looking forward to facing Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj.
Labuschagne said he shares a long relationship with Siraj from their academy days.
“We actually were at the (MRF) academy in 2015-16. To see his career go in that direction…he’s got great passion, great energy and great love for the game,” said the Australian.
India will begin their defence of the Border Gavaskar Trophy with the first Test in Perth from November 22.