Series storylines: Five key Border-Gavaskar Trophy battles

By Daniel Beswick

All eyes on Perth.

After recent India success in Australia and with World Test Championship Final ramifications, the 2024/2025 Border-Gavaskar Trophy can lay claim to being the most-awaited Test series of the 21st century.

And for the first time since 1991/1992, and the first time while competing for the trophy, the teams face off across five Test matches.

Australia, while boasting the World Test Championship mace and No.1 ranking, have gaping wounds from recent series defeats to India and are looking to end a 10-year hoodoo. India are no doubt inspired from their own success on Australian soil, but have weathered blows of their own, most notably a shock clean-sweep series defeat to New Zealand just days ago.

The form guide may not pull us any closer to predicting a series winner, but as the months of intrigue finally lead to action from Friday (22 November), here's a final look at the match-ups that could dictate the Test series:

Mitchell Starc v Yashasvi Jaiswal

For all of the recent history between the two teams, it could well be the winners of new individual battles centred around new-ball squabbles that shape the upcoming series.

The hosts' auditions for their vacant opening batter spot has been well-documented, though a new challenge lies in front of world-class talent Yashasvi Jaiswal, who travels to Australia to take on the all-conquering attack for the first time in Test whites.

Jaiswal and Mitchell Starc have crossed paths briefly in IPL cricket with the sample size too small to form any judgement, though there may be something in India's tour to South Africa roughly 12 months ago that points to Starc being Jaiswal’s kryptonite.

Fellow left-armer and new-ball bowler Nandre Burger quashed Jaiswal in the two-Test series, claiming him twice in the first Test, and again in the second innings of the second Test, albeit when India put the foot down in a quick-fire chase.

Both Burger’s wickets in Centurion were edges to Kyle Verreynne behind the stumps, one from a delivery dished up to swing away from the left-hander, and the other short of the length and beating Jaiswal with the extra bounce. Relative inexperience on juicy Australian wickets against a left-arm new-ball bowler, let alone a premier operator, is bound to be the toughest challenge of Jaiswal's young Test career.

Watch: Yashasvi Jaiswal reflects on winning February ICC Men's Player of the Month

Jasprit Bumrah v Australia's Opening Pair

The more-publicised story featuring new-ball combatants, there has almost been a reality TV-style feel to the vacant Australian Test opening spot.

The privilege to join Usman Khawaja was there after a successful audition from someone, and even after a (potentially tongue-in-cheek) offering from the retired David Warner, the competition was won by South Australia's Nathan McSweeney.

Beating fellow young gun Sam Konstas, too-late-to-fire Marcus Harris and a Cameron Bancroft redemption arc tilt, McSweeney has little experience to bank on against a bowler of Bumrah's ilk or style, but the 25-year-old refuses to make it an excuse as he wades in Test cricket's waters.

“I’m just trying to visualise how I'm going to go about it," McSweeney explained after he won a squad spot.

"Facing a new bowler can be a slight challenge to just pick up their action.

“But there’s probably not (much you can do to replicate how Bumrah bowls).

“Obviously he's got a unique action, he's one of the best bowlers in the world, so it's going to be hard to mimic that, that's for sure."

More on McSweeney as he readies for the potential Bumrah barrage

Bumrah's importance to India's charge was amplified by India's home struggles against New Zealand, and his ability to break into Australia's middle order could be the difference between bowling the hosts out inside two sessions or watching them bat for two days.

A man all too aware of Bumrah's danger, Usman Khawaja has urged his new partner to stick with what has worked in domestic cricket.

"There's no guarantees in cricket...but he doesn't have to do anything different," Khawaja began.

"Just repeat the process. He's been able to handle the pressure at Shield level. When you look at his demeanour, the way he plays, you do kind of feel over a longer period of time he'll be able to handle the scrutiny, the pressure of Test cricket."

‘No guarantees in cricket’ - Khawaja's advice for McSweeney on maiden Test call-up

Watch: Ricky Ponting weighs in on form of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli

Ravichandran Ashwin v Travis Head

Honours are roughly even between the pair in the Test arena, with Head averaging 41.7, dismissed by the off-spinner three times. To add an extra dimension to the intrigue, Head’s strike rate across 295 balls faced is just 42.4, suggesting the left-hander is willing to batten down the hatches against his world class opponent.

Ashwin had Head’s number in Adelaide in the 2020/2021 series, with the left-hander ballooning a catch to his rival on just seven, though more recent home summers suggest Head will open the shoulders and attack. In summers at home after the last India tour, Head averages 54.10, at a strike rate of 87.46.

The off-spinner's Test record in Australia doesn't jump off the screen, though his work in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney on the last tour (taking 12 wickets at 28.83) suggests this duel will fire up further along in the series.

Watch: Ravi Shastri predicts his India XI

Josh Hazlewood v Virat Kohli

54 innings, 1722 runs at 33.11 and just two centuries.

Virat Kohli's Test stat line since the last Australia tour is poor reading, but knowing of the great's success Down Under, a return could be what it takes for him to find his mojo.

Kohli averages 53.13 in Australia, and 55.7 against Josh Hazlewood in Test cricket, and it could be the New South Wales quick the right-hander will target early.

Hazlewood by contrast would likely be buoyed knowing that Kohli's potentially aggressive approach could bring him back into the contest though, and the technical downfalls of the latter outside off-stump are again the topic of conversation.

Kohli's first cover drive in Perth could reveal plenty.

Watch: Ravi Shastri backs Virat Kohli

Australia's Quick Attack v India's Sixth Batter

Cheteshwar Pujara's staying power has been a key ingredient in India's recent success in Australia, and the lack of a true like-for-like replacement means the tourists will have to find new ways to compile competitive totals.

Blessed with aggressive stroke-players, a firing India side could power on without the need to look back at the past, but the lack of an established foil in Pujara means there is little insurance should things go pear-shaped.

Rohit Sharma's likely absence for the first Test puts more stress on batting selections, though the exploits of wicket-keeper/batter Dhruv Jurel in lead-in tour matches are encouraging, as a specialist batter to potentially play the Pujara role.

The difficulty rises significantly of course against the Australian Test attack, though Ravi Shastri has thrown his support behind the youngster.

“What impressed me most was his temperament, his calmness when the chips were down, and the tightness he brought to his game - especially under pressure," Shastri said in the recent ICC Review.

“Under pressure, you can see a lot of players struggling. You can see them being fidgety. You can see them being all over the shop. You can see those nerves coming through. But in this guy's case, his temperament stood out.

"Whenever the chips were down, even in that series against England (earlier this year) he stepped up to the plate. So I like what I saw and I'll be quite prepared to give him a go if he's in good nick."