India will aim to maintain its dominance over Australia in Test cricket when the two sides line up against each other in a four-match series that starts on February 9 in Nagpur. India has won the last three Test series against the Australian team, two of which were in Australian territory. The Rohit Sharma-led Indian team will aim to dish out another dominating performance in the upcoming four matches and keep the Baggy Greens at bay. The 2023 edition of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy holds great significance for the hosts, as apart from having a realistic chance to reach the No. 1 position in Test cricket, India’s chances of qualifying for the World Test Championship (WTC) final depend on the outcome of this series. In order to play the second straight WTC final, India needs to win at least three out of the four Tests against the WTC leaders, Australia.
Any other result can put India in great danger of missing out on a place in the summit clash. Since India is playing at home, they are likely to dominate the proceedings and win the series. The Indian team hasn’t lost a Test series at home since losing against England in 2012. Against the Aussies, they haven’t lost a Test series in the last 19 years. Even though the Aussies are on a roll in Test matches since Pat Cummins’ appointment as Australia’s Test captain and haven’t lost a Test series, the challenge to win in India will be the biggest for the Australian side.
Ahead of the start of the Test series, former Australian wicketkeeper-batsman Ian Healy has made a prediction about the winner of the upcoming red-ball series and said that if India produces fair pitches, then Australia will win the assignment, and if the tracks are rank turners, then India will win.
“I think if they produce fair Indian wickets, that are good batting wickets, to start with, (that) probably spin and spin pretty consistently but spin a long way, late in the match, we (Australia) win,” Healy said on SENQ Breakfast.
“I’m worried about (Mitchell) Starc and (Nathan) Lyon in the first Test. If they’re unfair wickets which I’ve seen in the last series, where balls were jumping ridiculously and sliding down low from day one, I think India play those conditions better than us,” he added.
