Senior batsman Virat Kohli stated that India has gained the respect of Australia after winning the last two away Test series. He emphasized that the Australian team no longer underestimates India as a Test side.
India and Australia are set to face off in a five-match Test series for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, starting in Perth on November 22. The visitors previously triumphed 2-1 in both the 2018-19 and 2020-21 series.
In a discussion on Star Sports, Kohli noted that the rivalry has transformed into one of respect due to India’s consecutive Test series victories in Australia. The experienced batter remarked:
“The rivalry was very intense in the initial years. The environment used to be very tense. Since we have won the series in Australia twice, the rivalry has turned into respect.”
”We are not taken lightly as a Test team. That respect is evident when we play against Australia – that is a team that has beaten us twice in our backyard back-to-back.”
THE COUNTDOWN BEGINS! ⏳
With just 50 days for the 💥 action to begin down under, the stars talk about what makes it the #ToughestRivalry! 🤜🤛
Watch #AUSvINDOnStar starting NOV, 22 onwards! pic.twitter.com/ZYkVwsYFVe
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) October 3, 2024
Kohli boasts an impressive record in Australia during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. In 13 matches, he has amassed 1,352 runs at an average of 54.08, including six centuries. He hit three centuries on the 2014 tour and added one each in 2012, 2015, and 2018.
“The mutual respect and camaraderie have significantly improved” – Ashwin on the India vs Australia Test rivalry
Similar to Kohli, senior Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin noted that Australian cricketers are much more cautious of the current Indian Test team due to their success in Australia. The 38-year-old stated in the same video:
“The Australian cricketers definitely know that this team has got the ability and they do respect people on this side of the fence, so does everybody inside the dressing room that I play in. We all know how good the Aussie team is. There are some wonderful cricketers in there. The mutual respect and camaraderie is a lot better.”
https://x.com/starsportsindia/status/1841810020364911056?s=46
Ashwin has participated in 10 Test matches in Australia, taking 39 wickets at an average of 42.15, with a best performance of 4-55. In total, he has played 22 Tests against Australia, capturing 114 wickets at an average of 28.36, including seven five-wicket hauls and one match with ten wickets.
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