NEW DELHI: Star Australian cricketer Steve Smith has expressed respect for India’s dominance ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, acknowledging the challenge his team faces.
In a bold statement featured in a Star Sports promo for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Steve Smith highlighted the significance of the series, which kicks off on November 22. This tournament marks the first five-match Test series between Australia and India since the 1991/92 season.
“We know they are very difficult to beat,” Smith said on Star Sports while giving utmost respect to their rivals ahead of the highly anticipated series.
However, Aussie skipper Pat Cummins says that it’s time to make amends after losing to India in two back-to-back series at home.
“We have not been successful in the last two series here in Australia. So it’s been a long time, hopefully time to make amends,” Cummins stated.
Star Aussie spinner Nathan Lyon also hailed the Indian squad, and said he has always loved to compete against the star-studded Indian line-up.
“I’ve always said throughout my whole career I wanna compete against the best. When you look through the whole Indian line-up. The whole squad is absolutely superstars wherever you look in.
You want to compete and challenge yourself against them and can’t wait to have the Indian guys out here,” Lyon said on Star Sports.
The highly anticipated five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy will begin in Perth, followed by matches in Adelaide (a pink-ball game), Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney.
India’s recent Test series win against Bangladesh has strengthened their position atop the World Test Championship (WTC) standings, with eight wins, two losses, and one draw, amassing 98 points and a points percentage of 74.24.
If India goes on to defeat New Zealand 3-0 at home, they will secure their place in the WTC final at Lord’s in June 2025 before even heading to Australia. The Border-Gavaskar Trophy will then be a contest of pride, with the world’s No. 1 team aiming to retain the series.