The anticipation around the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy is palpable. India are Australia are slated to square off in a five-match Test series for the first time in over three decades.
The marquee series is slated to get underway on November 22 in Perth and the action will then shift to Adelaide (December 6-10), where both teams will face each other in a Day-Night Test. The last three Tests are set to take place in Brisbane (December 14-18), Melbourne (December 26-30), and Sydney (January 3-7).
With the series against India fast approaching, Australian captain Pat Cummins has said that the five-Test rubber is going to be a survival of the fittest.
"The couple of home series I've played against India there's always an element of attrition to them," said Cummins. "The last series came down to the last session at the Gabba on the last day of the last Test match.
"That's a good thing to keep in mind. It is a long series, and it might be tightly held until the last game, so you've got to manage your resources throughout."
India have won the last two Test series Down Under, while they have held onto the coveted Border-Gavaskar Trophy since March 2017. Australia will be keen to turn things around in the forthcoming series.
Cameron Green is in danger of missing the entire Australia versus India Test series after surgery has become the front-running solution to address his back injury. However, Cummins is backing the all-rounder to return to the team in the future
"We want him bowling, Cam wants to be bowling, and he has a long career ahead of him," said Cummins.
"It's about trying to place Cam the cricketer in the best position he can be to have the career that he's hoping for. He's young, so I'm sure he'll be right in the long run."
Pat Cummins will enter the India series well rested having missed the white-ball tour of England and Scotland. His management of workload has given the 31-year-old hope to lead the Australian team for longer than he originally intended.
"Maybe I can go a little bit longer than I first thought," he said. "I feel like I can manage a lot more than what I did back then, just by getting better at it and having some wonderful people around that help as well.
"I'm not going to do it forever, but I wouldn't say it's imminent that I'm going to step away. (2027) is the big question, but it's a long way away."
(With Reuters Inputs)
