A similar problem was brought up recently by the great Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar, who advised the country to make early plans for their upcoming overseas tour to Australia in order to maintain their winning streak. Interestingly, in December 2024, India—which has won the last two series—will embark on a tour of Australia.
In the second Test of the series, India defeated South Africa by seven wickets at Newlands, Cape Town, on Thursday, January 4, capping an unprecedented victory over the country. With the series tied at two Tests, the Rohit Sharma-led team faced overwhelming odds after losing the opening match in Centurion. It is noteworthy that India has a trend of losing their first game and winning the second when playing abroad.
“For Indian teams visiting SENA countries, the Centurion defeat is essentially a pattern: they lose the opening test of the series and then have to make up ground throughout the rest of the series. If India were to maintain the winning momentum from the last two visits to Australia, where the next major series is scheduled to take place, preparations must begin immediately. From the end of September to the beginning of November, India is scheduled to play three Tests at home against New Zealand and two Tests against Bangladesh, according to the FTP, Sunil Gavaskar writes in his Sportstar column.
According to Sunil Gavaskar, they will have enough time to play a few first-class matches prior to the series since the first test of the series is scheduled for December.
“It does give the Indians time to play a couple, if not more, first-class games before the series, since the first Test of a five-match series in Australia is expected to begin in early December. Following the Centurion loss, Rohit Sharma stated that the reason these matches are bad is that the host nations field inferior squads and play on sluggish pitches. Even so, is it not preferable to establish a rhythm in the face of such resistance rather than staying home? The bowlers can also go all out and challenge themselves, in addition to the hitters who can gain some experience, he continued.
In their last four bilateral series with Australia, India has prevailed.
Notably, starting in December, Australia and India will battle it out in a five-match Test series for the Border Gavaskar Trophy. The Asian behemoths, who have defeated the Australians in all four of their previous series meetings, will want to carry on their winning run against the World Test Champions.
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