The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced on Friday that the upcoming Australia tour of India will be the last of the traditional four-match Test series as part of the Border-Gavaskar series as well. Since 2003/04, when India travelled to Australia, the Border-Gavaskar Trophy has been a four-match Test series, with the 2010/11 contest being a two-match Test series. The last time a series featured five Tests was way back in 1991/92 as well.
“This will also be the last edition of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy which will be a 4-match Test series feature,” read the statement from BCCI.
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However, earlier this year, in August, the ICC released the Men’s FTP cycle for 2023-27, which also included two sets of five-match series for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in the upcoming ICC World Test Championship cycles. And, according to the FTP, Australia will host India for the first five-match Border-Gavaskar series in the 2023-25 WTC cycle as well, and then the tour in the 2025-27 cycle also. Meanwhile, the BCCI also announced the squad for the first two matches of a four-Test series against Australia starting on February 9.
Rohit Sharma, who missed India’s series win over Bangladesh in December due to a thumb injury, is back now to lead the Test squad as well. Batters Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan have earned their maiden Test call-up whereas Jasprit Bumrah, who has been struggling with a back injury, and Rishabh Pant, who suffered several injuries recently in a car crash, were not included in the squad. Ravindra Jadeja’s addition to the Test squad is subject to fitness as well.
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INDIA SQUAD FOR FIRST TWO AUSTRALIA TESTS: Rohit Sharma (C), KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KS Bharat, Ishan Kishan, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat, Suryakumar Yadav.
