All you need to know for the Border-Gavaskar West Test

Match details

Who: Australia v India

What: First NRMA Insurance Test Match

When: 22-26 November, 2024, first ball at 10.20am local time (1.20pm AEDT, 7.50am IST)

Where: Perth Stadium, Perth, Western Australia

How to watch: Fox Cricket, Kayo Sports, Channel 7 and 7Plus

Live scores: Match Centre

Officials: Richard Kettleborough and Chris Gaffaney (field), Richard Illingworth (third), Sam Nogajski (fourth), Ranjan Madugalle (referee)

Highlights, news and reactions after the match: cricket.com.au, the CA Live app and the Unplayable Podcast. Listen and subscribe to the podcast below.

The Squads

Australia squad: (first Test only) Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey (wk), Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Nathan McSweeney, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc

 

India squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar. Reserves: Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini, Khaleel Ahmed

There’s been plenty of interesting storylines to follow in the build-up to this Test series! Let’s summarise: Allrounder Cameron Green is out for the summer after opting for surgery that is intended to provide a long-term fix for a back issue. Steve Smith has moved back to No.4 in Australia’s batting order, having been elevated to open last summer after the retirement of David Warner. That created a vacancy for an opener to partner Usman Khawaja, which has been filled – after intense speculation and competition and a ‘bat-off’ with Australia A – by Nathan McSweeney, the Queensland-raised South Australia captain, who usually bats at No.3 or No.4 for his state.

For India, there’s also been some upheaval. Captain Rohit Sharma is set to miss the opening Test match in Perth - he did not arrive in Australia with the rest of the squad and reportedly his family welcomed a second child over the weekend. With Rohit now instead set to feature against the Prime Minister’s XI in the two-day pink-ball match between the first and second Tests, it means fast bowling spearhead Jasprit Bumrah will captain the side in Perth. Rohit’s absence creates an opening batter vacancy for India.

Another who has not travelled to Australia is 64-Test veteran Mohammed Shami, who has been sidelined for nearly a year with ankle issues, including surgery on his Achilles tendon in February. Shami returned in domestic cricket last weekend, taking a handful of wickets, and the clamour to get him on a plane has been steadily growing.

Local knowledge

It’s advantage Australia here, but Perth Stadium, which will host its fifth Test, is a long way from being the fortress the Gabba was as the opening venue of the Test summer. But the Aussies are off to a good start, having won all four previous Tests at the 60,000-seat venue.

India are the first team to have visited twice for a Test though, having played in the inaugural match here in 2018, and it will be a venue Virat Kohli fondly remembers for the 140 he scored in that match.

Much like at the WACA Ground on the other side of the Swan River where the teams have been training and where India went through their 'match simulation' in lieu of an official intra-squad warm-up fixture, the faster bowlers enjoy the conditions at the stadium due to the extra pace and bounce offered by the hard surface. But spinners have been almost as effective, with the differences in bowling averages and strike rates between the two negligible.

Session Times

First Session: 10.20am – 12.20pm (1.20pm-3.20pm AEDT; 7.50am-9.50am IST)
Lunch: 12.20pm – 1pm (3.20pm-4pm AEDT; 9.50am-10.30am IST)
Second Session: 1pm – 3pm (4pm-6pm AEDT; 10.30am-12.30pm IST)
Tea: 3pm – 3.20pm (6pm-6.20pm AEDT; 12.30pm-12.50pm IST)
Third Session: 3.20pm – 5.20pm (6.20pm-8.20pm AEDT; 12.50pm-2.50pm IST)
* An extra 30 minutes can be used to complete daily overs

The full series schedule

First Test: November 22-26: Perth Stadium, 1.20pm AEDT

Second Test: December 6-10: Adelaide Oval, 3pm AEDT (D/N)

Third Test: December 14-18: The Gabba, Brisbane, 11.20am AEDT

Fourth Test: December 26-30: MCG, Melbourne, 10.30am AEDT

Fifth Test: January 3-7: SCG, Sydney, 10.30am AEDT

nbn Fast Facts

Great things happen fast on nbn – cricket.com.au has compiled the following facts to prepare you for the game, fast. Do great things with nbn.

• India are aiming to become only the third team to win more three consecutive Tests series against Australia in Australia. The West Indies did it between 1985-93 and South Africa from 2009-2016.

• Australia have lost only two of their past 15 men’s Test series (won nine, drawn four) but those two defeats were against India (March 2023, summer 2020-21).

• India are facing back-to-back Test series defeats for the first time since September 2018, following their 0-3 loss against New Zealand earlier this month.

• India have scored 54 per cent of their runs from boundaries this calendar year, the best rate of any team in the format this year.

• Australia have a bowling dot ball rate of 76 per cent in men’s Tests in 2024, the best of any team (minimum three matches). Their bowling average (21.4) is also the best of any team this year.

• Virat Kohli’s six Test hundreds in Australia is the joint-third most of any non-Australian, behind only England’s Jack Hobbs (9) and Wally Hammond (7).

• Steve Smith will move into outright second for most Tests hundreds for Australia if he scores a century in this series. He’s currently tied with Steve Waugh on 32, trailing Ricky Ponting’s 41 Test tons.

• India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, who is yet to face Australia in his Test career, has the second-best batting average of any Indian in Test history (minimum eight innings) with 56.3 from 26 innings.

• Travis Head will reach 50 Test appearances in Perth. He scored a match-winning 163 in his last Test against India, the 2023 World Test Championship Final.

Head-to-Head

Overall: Australia 45 wins, India 32 wins, 29 draws, one tie

In Australia: Australia 30 wins, India 9 wins, 13 draws

Past 10 years: Australia seven wins (5H, 2A) India eight wins (4H, 4A), six draws (4 in Aus, 2 in India)

Most runs (overall): Sachin Tendulkar (3630), Ricky Ponting (2555), VVS Laxman (2434), Rahul Dravid (2143), Cheteshwar Pujara (2074)

Most runs (in Australia): Ricky Ponting (1893), Sachin Tendulkar (1809), Virat Kohli (1352), VVS Laxman (1236), Rahul Dravid (1143)

Most wickets (overall): Nathan Lyon (121), Ravichandran Ashwin (114), Anil Kumble (111), Harbhajan Singh (95), Ravindra Jadeja (89)

Most wickets (in Australia): Nathan Lyon (60), Kapil Dev (51), Anil Kumble (49), Brett Lee (45), Josh Hazlewood (42)

Likely line-ups?

Australia: Nathan McSweeney (debut), Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Mitch Marsh, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood

Australia named a squad only for the first Test meaning there are likely few surprises in store unless misfortune befalls the Aussie squad. Scott Boland is the quick in reserve, while Josh Inglis has been named as the spare batter, and also offers an option should the need for a replacement 'keeper arise.

India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Sarfaraz Khan, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna

While the Australians are a relatively settled bunch, albeit one with a debutant in this series, there are plenty of moving parts in the India camp.

The absence of Rohit for the first Test means not only will they have a temporary captain for the series opener, they need to find a new opening batter, with KL Rahul seemingly favoured for the spot, although Abhimanyu Easwaran acquitted himself well for India A in their warm-up matches. There's a chance both could yet feature in the playing XI with the visitors facing an injury concern over No.3 batter Shubman Gill, who injured his thumb taking a slips catch at the WACA on the weekend. With speculation the thumb is fractured, Gill is looking like an unlikely starter for the West Test. Or, with India keeping Devdutt Padikkal around after the A series, he may find himself injected into the side from outside the squad. 

Speculation is also rife that India may pull the trigger on a change further down the order, with Sarfaraz Khan under scrutiny. Jettisoning him would be a major call though after he scored 150 in the first Test against New Zealand, however his other scores in that series were 0, 11, 9, 0 and 1. If a change was made, Dhruv Jurel could be the man to come in after impressing for India A when brought in for the match at the MCG. 

How India stack up their bowling attack is also the source of much speculation. Bumrah is obviously a lock, and India would seem set to play him alongside Mohammed Siraj and face a choice for the third quick between Akash Deep, who bowled well at home against New Zealand, and Prasidh Krishna, who bowled well for India A in both matches. With spin bowling allrounder Ravindra Jadeja in the line-up, India's final choice would appear to be whether to go for Ravichandran Ashwin, who averages 42.15 with the ball in 10 Tests down under, or go for a batting allrounder such as the uncapped Nitish Kumar Reddy.

Can I still get tickets?

We’re on track for a record crowd at the West Test but with such a massive stadium, there are still tickets to be found. Latest detail indicates more than 100,000 fans will attend in Perth, with ticket sales up about 150 per cent from last year’s Test against Pakistan.

We’re set for bumper crowds across the entire series. Demand for tickets has more than doubled from recent summers for all the Adelaide and Brisbane Tests. It’s set to be a sold out Boxing Day at the MCG, with more than 12 per cent of all ticket sales coming from overseas, while sales are closing in on a sold out SCG across the first three days.

Check availability and get your tickets for the series here

Broadcast info

Australian audiences will once again be able to watch every ball of this summer’s Test series either free-to-air on Channel Seven and its digital streaming platform 7plus, or ad-break free during play and in 4K on Foxtel and Kayo Sports.

Here’s the commentators you can expect to hear across the different broadcasters this summer:

Seven & 7plus: Greg Blewett, James Brayshaw, Trent Copeland, Aaron Finch (first two Tests only), Damien Fleming, Sunil Gavaskar, Matthew Hayden (first three Tests only), Simon Katich, Rachel Khawaja, Tim Lane, Justin Langer, Mel McLaughlin, Alison Mitchell, Alister Nicholson, Ricky Ponting and Simon Taufel.

 

Foxtel & Kayo: Harsha Bhogle, Allan Border, Adam Gilchrist, Isa Guha, Mark Howard, Mike Hussey, Brendon Julian, Brett Lee, Kath Loughnan, Kerry O'Keefe, Ravi Shastri, Michael Vaughan, David Warner, Mark Waugh

Kayo Sports and 7plus will both feature options to listen to Hindi commentary for this summer’s Tests. Foxtel has introduced new technological innovations such as interactive 4D replays, a 600 frame-per-second ultra-slow-motion camera dubbed 'the emperor', and using AI to enhance ball-tracking data.

If you’re not already on board with Kayo Sports, sign up here

If radio is more your thing, then the ABC, Triple M and SEN will all be broadcasting the Test matches this summer, all of which can be listened to through the CA Live app. The BBC and SEN NZ will also be carrying audio for listeners in those countries.

World Test Championship update

Five nations, including Australia and India, are still in running to make the third edition of the World Test Championship decider, to be played at Lord's next June. The West Test opener to the Border-Gavaskar Trophy is actually the start of a run of 14 important Test matches that will determine who makes that final, with all of Sri Lanka, New Zealand and South Africa all fancying their chances of making June's decider.

We'll keep you updated as the series progresses, but for now, you can read a full run down of how the World Test Championship is shaking out at the link below.

Form Guide

Past 10 matches, most recent first. W: win, L: loss, D: draw   

Australia: WWLWWWWLDL

Australia last played Test cricket in New Zealand back in early March, winning a two-Test series there 2-0. Before that, they lost at the Gabba to a Shamar Joseph inspired Windies side to draw the home series 1-1, having already beaten Pakistan 3-0 at home last summer. The loss-draw-loss was the tail-end of the 2023 Ashes campaign.

India: LLLWWWWWWL

India enter this series smarting from an unexpected 0-3 whitewash at home to New Zealand, a result that has rocked their confidence and left them vulnerable heading into this difficult five-Test series. That series was hailed as the Black Caps' greatest Test series victory of all time but was a humiliation for India, particularly given the failures of star batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Before that, India had rolled Bangladesh 2-0 in September and in February beaten England 4-1 at home, winning six Tests on the bounce after they lost their opening match against England in Hyderabad.

Last time they met?

At The Oval, in June last year, Australia beat India by 209 runs to win the World Test Championship for the first time ... and consign India to defeat in their second successive final. Led by centuries to Travis Head (163) and Steve Smith (121), Australia built a huge first-innings total after being in to bat that kept India out of the match.