Perth, Australia

Australia skipper Pat Cummins is ready to complete the set as he gears up for the Test series against India with the opening Test in Perth starting on Friday (Nov 22). Cummins who helped Australia win the World Test Championship (WTC) final and the ODI World Cup final in 2023, is yet to win a Test series against India. However, he is now ready to tick the box with Australia sitting in pole position to reach back-to-back WTC finals.

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Cummins ready to tick off another box

"It's kind of the one big thing that I want to tick off," Cummins said ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy opener in Perth. "Particularly winning at home. Most Australians, me included, expect us to do well whenever we play at home. We've lost the last two series against them, so this is a big one."

Cummins was named captain of the Australian side in December 2021 and has been impressive during his stint leading them to a 4-0 Ashes win followed by a series of success. However, he is yet to be victorious in a Test series against India, with his only previous attempt resulting in a 1-2 defeat while in India in 2023.

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With India recently struggling and heading into the BGT on the back of a 0-3 defeat to New Zealand, Australia will look to capitlaise on their wounded opponents. To add more worries for the Indian team, skipper Rohit Sharma is out of the squad owing to paternity leave while Shubman Gill stays out with a thumb problem. Nitish Reddy is expected to get his debut for the Perth Test with Abhimanyu Easwaran not part of the plans for the Perth encounter.

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Border-Gavaskar Trophy (India-Australia series) Schedule

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1st Test: 22nd November to 26th November, Perth

2nd Test: 6th December to 10th December, Adelaide

3rd Test: 14th December to 18th December, Brisbane

4th Test: 26th December to 30th December, Melbourne

5th Test: 3rd January to 7th January, Sydney