Sydney, Aug 22: Mitchell Starc, Australia’s premier pace bowler, has expressed excitement about the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which will be a five-Test series for the first time in over thirty years. Scheduled to commence in November, this expansion marks the first increase in matches since the 1991-92 season.Starc equates the series with the Ashes in terms of significance. “Being five matches now it’s probably right on par with an Ashes series,” he remarked to Wide World of Sports.
Australia has struggled to reclaim the Border-Gavaskar Trophy since the 2014-15 season, with India securing four consecutive series victories, including historic wins in Australia in 2018-19 and 2020-21. Starc is determined to reverse this trend and aims for a clean sweep, noting the importance of the series for the World Test Championship standings.
“We always want to win every game at home and we know India is a very strong team,” Starc added. Currently, India leads the World Test Championship standings with Australia in second place.
At 34, Starc is nearing his 100th Test match and plans to continue his Test career by reducing his white-ball commitments. He emphasized the significance of wearing the baggy green cap and hopes to celebrate multiple victories during the series. “Hopefully it’s five times through the summer with five wins and we can sing that song five times,” he said.