Border–Gavaskar Trophy: Major Talking Points Ahead of Second Test

Is the Border–Gavaskar Trophy Now the Biggest Cricket Rivalry?

Suggesting that the Border–Gavaskar Trophy is a bigger rivalry than the Ashes is a major claim, but Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had no hesitation in asserting that this battle of the world’s cricketing giants is now the greatest in the current Test environment following India’s victory in the first match of the series at the Optus Stadium in Perth last week. 

These two nations have been at the forefront of Test cricket in recent years and contested the World Test Championship in London last year which Australia won. The Aussies then went on to lift the ODI World Cup last November, thus holding world titles in two of the three formats simultaneously. 

However, India got their revenge at the T20 World Cup in June this year, beating the Wallabies in the Super 8 stage to send them crashing out of the tournament, before going on to crush England in the semi-final and outlast South Africa in the final to lift the trophy at the Kensington Oval in Barbados. 

India drew first blood in this series, wrapping up the first Test by 295 runs and with a day to spare, but the Aussies will be determined to bite back to level proceedings in Adelaide this week. 

India are showing up as the underdog for the second Test, currently priced at 2.50 with Bet365!

Australia: Personnel Changes Expected for Perth Test

Australia were outplayed in the opening Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, as India, despite missing their skipper, dominated in all departments. By day three, it was just a matter of how and when rather than if they would win. 

Following that defeat, several Wallabies players came under criticism for their lacklustre performances, none more so than veteran batsman Marnus Labuschagne, who only managed five runs combined across his two innings and is now averaging just 23.57 in Tests since the start of last summer. Former Aussie quick Mitchell Johnson mentioned in a media discussion that the best thing Labuschagne right now would be for selectors to drop him from the side, while calls are getting louder for the team to include uncapped all-rounder Beau Webster. 

Batting lineup changes is not the only topic of the discussion, though, as the Wallabies also have to deal with the absence of Josh Hazlewood for the second Test. The paceman aggravated a side injury in the first match, and while it is not thought to be too serious, it is enough to see him forced to sit out the upcoming match. Scott Boland is the most likely to replace Hazlewood in the starting 11, while Sean Abbott and Brendan Doggett have also been called up to the squad as reinforcements. 

Think the hosts can level the series? Lock in odds of 1.80 for Australia to win the second Test with Betway!

India: New Role for Sharma and Kohli Eyeing Lara Record

India captain Rohit Sharma is set to return to the squad after missing the first Test due to paternity leave, but we could see the skipper deployed in a new position. Sharma has opened the batting order for his side since 2015, but against the Australian Prime Minister's XI in a tour game in Canberra on Sunday, he came out at number four, with KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal continuing as the opening pair. The Rahul-Jaiswal combination excelled with a 200+ stand in the first Test and the team seem understandably hesitant to tinker with the top order. 

Meanwhile, Virat Kohli notched up yet another Test century in Perth - the 30th ton of his career in the red-ball format - and he will have a chance to add another record to his name in Adelaide. As it stands, West Indian legend Brian Lara currently holds the record for the most runs scored by a visiting batsman at the Adelaide Oval with an impressive 610 runs, but Kohli can surpass that record this week if he scores more than 102 in the second Test. Additionally, Kohli needs just 44 more runs to beat Sir Vivian Richards' record of 552 runs at the venue.

Finally, we cannot discuss the first Test without mentioning Jasprit Bumrah’s incredible performance. He picked up a five-wicket haul in the first innings and went on to record 8 for 72 in the match which earned him the Player of the Match award. Bumrah’s match-winning performance was not only crucial to helping India win their first-ever match at the Optus Stadium but also saw a notable rise in his ICC Test bowler rankings. The Indian paceman leapfrogged South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada to take the top spot, solidifying his status as the world’s best Test bowler. 

Jasprit Bumrah can be backed to finish as the top bowler in the second Test at odds of 4.0 with Dafabet!

Bet on India to win the second Test