Australian players, including Steven Smith and David Warner, are preparing for the “most challenging Test cricket” competition as they face India in an important four-match Test series for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, beginning in Nagpur on February 9, with them stating that a series triumph in India is greater than winning the Ashes.
Captain Pat Cummins echoed his colleagues’ thoughts, declaring that success in India would be equal to an away Ashes win and possibly even rarer. He went on to say that it would be a crowning moment of his career as well as a potentially transformative series if they managed to come out on top.
Warner expressed his excitement for the up-and-coming tour, saying he was eager to go up against some of the world’s top spin bowlers. He remarked that while his experience in the Ashes series was excellent, taking on India on their own turf would be the biggest challenge of his Test cricket career. He added that he was ready to put in a lot of hard work while on tour and was looking forward to competing against the best spinners in the world.
India is a very challenging country to take a Test match victory in, let alone a full series. An Australian win in India would be a tremendous achievement, even more so than a victory in the Ashes. Smith expressed these thoughts in a video published by cricket.com.au, featuring several Australian players who commented on the difficulty of playing in India.
Starc remarked that claiming a series victory in India is something that Australian touring teams have always dreamed of. He explained that India is one of the most difficult places to win due to the foreign conditions and the strength of the Indian team. Additionally, Starc noted that an Australian series win in India holds special importance compared to an Ashes series win.
Josh Hazlewood, the fast Australian bowler unable to participate in the Nagpur Test due to a left Achilles injury, added that it has been a long time since Australia won a game in India and that in international cricket, everyone’s aim is to win in India.