Border-Gavaskar Trophy Diary: Of milestones, rivalry and team strategies

The highly-anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy is set to commence on November 22, with Australia and India locking horns in a five-match Test series. Both teams, currently ranked first and second in the ICC World Test Championship, are eager to strengthen their position for the final.

Australian stars eyeing milestones

Several Australian players are on the brink of significant milestones. Steve Smith, just 315 runs away from 10,000 Test runs, is poised to join an elite club of Australian batting greats. He's also nearing 17,000 international runs and could surpass Ricky Ponting as Australia's leading Test run-scorer against India.

Captain Pat Cummins is closing in on 500 international wickets, a feat achieved by only six Australians before. His bowling partner, Josh Hazlewood, is also on the cusp of this milestone. Cummins is also eyeing 300 Test wickets and the first pacer to reach 200 wickets in the World Test Championship.

Nathan Lyon, the veteran spinner, is just 13 wickets away from becoming the first bowler to reach 200 wickets in the World Test Championship. Mitchell Starc, meanwhile, is aiming to join the exclusive club of Australian bowlers with 700 international wickets.

'India-Australia rivalry among most intense'

Cricket legend Ricky Ponting has drawn parallels between the India-Australia rivalry and the Ashes. Both series, according to Ponting, are among the most intense and eagerly awaited in world cricket.

"Australia-England, with the history of the Ashes, but Australia-India is not far behind that and it's built up over a long period," Ponting said during a recent episode of the ICC Review. "I think we all look forward to these sorts of battles. As a past player, as a commentator, I want to see these two teams go out there and play hard and fair and then see who is left standing at the end of the next five games."

The former Australian captain expects a fierce contest between the two teams, characterized by intense competition and banter. "I don't know if spice is the right word, but I expect the game to be played sort of almost on the edge, if you like, with two of the best teams in the world not wanting to give an inch to each other," he added.

Ponting emphasized the global significance of the India-Australia rivalry. "That's the beauty of these great rivalries in world sport. Australia-India in a Test match now is as big a rivalry as there is in world sport, not just cricket," the 49-year-old stated.

India's squad and the road ahead

India, led by Rohit Sharma, has named a strong squad for the series. The team will be looking to bounce back from their recent home series loss to New Zealand. The series will be played across five iconic venues: Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney.

The first Test in Perth promises to be a thrilling contest between two cricketing giants. Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has advocated for the inclusion of all-rounder Washington Sundar in India's playing XI for the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. To accommodate Sundar, Manjrekar suggests dropping a pace bowler.

Sundar impressed with both bat and ball in India's recent Test series against New Zealand, finishing as the leading wicket-taker. His all-round abilities and experience in Australian conditions make him a valuable asset for the Indian team.

"I believe that if you have got quality bowlers and after the kind of performance of Washi (Washington) showed in that last series, I mean, who has the heart and wants to drop somebody like him plus the kind of batting depth he had? So, I would rather sacrifice a pace bowler and have somebody like Washi," Manjrekar said.

Manjrekar's proposed playing XI for the Perth Test is as follows: Abhimanyu Easwaran, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep