Steve Smith in action© AFP
Experienced batter Steven Smith has said that Australia “need to” end India’s dominance in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy by reclaiming the title. For the current generation of Australian stars, a Test series win over India remains an elusive dream. Australia Test captain Pat Cummins, along with others, are still hunting to lift the Border-Gavaskar Trophy despite claiming the World Test Championship (WTC) title in the one-off match at The Oval last year. Australia have not held the Border-Gavaskar title since the 2014-15 series 2-0 triumph. Since then, the Baggy Greens have suffered consecutive defeats in series against India on home soil.
In the 2020-21 series, India famously scripted a comeback after being bowled out for 36 in Adelaide to secure the series. A remarkable victory at Melbourne Cricket Ground and a historic win at Gabba, followed by a gritty draw in Sydney, saw India take away the title.
“We are probably the two best teams at the moment in Test cricket. We played the World Test Championship final last year and beat them there. They’ve been great out here the last couple of times they’ve played really good cricket. Hopefully, we can turn the tables. It’s been ten years since we last won the Border Gavaskar trophy, so we need to do that this year,” Smith said, according to ESPNcricinfo.
Apart from Smith, his compatriot Nathan Lyon shared similar views about Australia’s intentions for the upcoming Test series against India.
“It’s been ten years of unfinished business, it’s been a long time, and I know we’re extremely hungry to turn things around, especially here at home,” Lyon was quoted by ESPNcricinfo last week.
“Don’t get me wrong, India is an absolute superstar side and extremely challenging, but I’m extremely hungry to turn things around and make sure we get that trophy back,” he added.
The five-match Test series will begin in November 2022 at the Perth Stadium. The fifth and final match of the series will start on January 3 in Sydney.
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