Cricket Australia releases venues and dates for Border-Gavaskar series against India. Check inside
Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2023
Cricket Australia has released the venues an schedule for the five-Test Border-Gavaskar trophy against India. The series will begin from November 22 later this year with Perth being the host for the first Test. The other venues are Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.
The second Test in Adelaide Oval will a day-night pink-ball game from December 6-10 before the tour moves to iconic Gabba cricket ground in Brisbane from December 14-18. Melbourne will host the traditional Boxing Day Test from December 26 before the New Year's Test, the last one of the series, gets underway in Sydney on January 3, 2025.
Notably, India have won their last two series Down Under, in 2018 and 2021.
The reasoning behind selecting Perth as the venue for the first Test is Australia's perfect record in four Tests played at the new ground. They have won one Test each against India (2018), New Zealand (2019), West Indies (2022) and Pakistan (2023).
Brisbane, which traditional has hosted the opening game of Australia summer, also is a stronghold of Aussies, barring one time when India beat them in 2021 to win the series. Overall, India have played seven Tests at Gabba since 1947 and have only once.
Australia, on the other hand, have played 66 Tests in Brisbane, winning 42 of them along with 13 draws and 11 losses.
As for the other venues, Adelaide has been a fort for Australia in day-night Tests as the home team has won all of their seven pink-ball games played their including one against India in 2020-21 series.
Coming to Melbourne, India have preferred playing at the MCG as they have won four out of 14 Tests played at the venue and have drawn two. Notably, India have not lost a Test in Melbourne since the Boxing Day Test in 2014 which ended in a draw. India went on to win their next two games in Melbourne, that is, in 2018 and 2020.
Talking about Sydney, India have played 13 Test at the SCG but have managed just one win back in 1978. They, however, have drawn seven Tests out of remaining 12 and have lost five. The last time India lost at the SCG was back in 2012.
