Australian pacer Mitchell Starc is hopeful about Australia regaining the Border Gavaskar Trophy by winning the five-match Test series
against India at the end of the year. Despite their sublime form in world cricket and holding the World Test Championship (WTC) title, Australia have struggled to win against India in the last few bilateral Test series as well.  However, India have defeated them in the last four Test series, including two in Australia in 2018-19 and 2020-21 as well.

Speaking to the Wide World of Sports, Starc said, “Being five matches now it’s probably right on par with an Ashes series. We always want to win every game at home and we know India are a very strong team. As we’re placed at the minute we’re the top two teams on the Test ladder… so a very exciting series coming up for the fans and certainly the players. Hopefully when we’re sitting there on the 8th of January we have that trophy back on our shores.”

However, the five-match Test series will begin in Perth on November 22 and they will culminate with the New Year’s Test in Sydney on January 7, 2025. Notably, India and Australia are currently sitting at the top two of the 2023-25 WTC points table as well.

“The Tests will always be taking precedence for me. We’ve got seven Tests on the bounce with five against India and then two in Sri Lanka, so they sit top of the tree with what’s coming up. The schedule is pretty fluid… the three quicks in particular, Josh (Hazlewood), Pat (Cummins) and I, we all play three formats so it might look differently for each of us. I don’t think we’ve put a deadline on anything. The Test matches will remain a priority, certainly for myself and I think it would be similar for the other two as well. We’ll see where (our) bodies are and the want to keep going, but at this stage it’s all guns blazing for five Tests against India,” Mitchell Starc concluded.