Veteran Australian pacer Nathan Lyon has predicted that his team would secure a win in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against India.
Nathan Lyon confidently claimed that Pat Cummins-led Australia would complete a 5-0 thrashing to regain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Australia has not beaten India in a Test series since 2014 and has even lost two home series against them. Most cricket pundits and fans are anticipating a competitive series later this year.
India and Australia top the World Test Championship standings, and the 2024-25 BGT could have an impact on the table.
I’ve had my eye on this series for a while now – Nathan Lyon
Nathan Lyon is confident that Australia will play mercilessly against India in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Lyon said he has been following the teams closely and anticipates a dominant 5-0 win for Australia.
“It’s been 10 years since we won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. I started thinking about this series when England were in India, watching them play. I love the game and I’ll watch a good Test match, but I’ve had my eye on this series for a long time. My prediction is 5-0 for Australia,” Lyon told Alyssa Healy on the ‘Willow Talk’ podcast.
The last time Australia managed to secure a Test series win over India was during the 2011 tour. The last four Test series between the teams ended 2-1 in favour of India. Team India secured their first Test series win in Australia on the 2018-19 tour and repeated the feat on the 2020-21 tour.
I had a very interesting chat with Tom Hartley – Nathan Lyon
Lyon recently picked Yashasvi Jaiswal as India’s future star. The veteran off-spinner said that he discussed Jaiswal with English spinner Tom Hartley, who had success against Jaiswal in Hyderabad. Lyon also added that India has a strong team with stars like Sarfaraz Khan and KL Rahul.
“I had a very nice chat with Tom Hartley, about how he behaved when Jaiswal attacked him. That is something I learnt from him. Will Sarfaraz come here or will it be Rahul? They have a team full of superstars,” Lyon added.
Yashasvi Jaiswal had smashed Tom Hartley for a couple of sixes in their opening encounters. However, Hartley ended up as England’s leading wicket-taker in the series.
This tour will be Jaiswal’s first in Australia. It is worth noting that the left-handed batsman had a disappointing performance on his tour of South Africa.
We need great races – Nathan Lyon
During the same interaction, the 36-year-old spinner urged Australian batsmen, including Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne and Travis Head, to play marathon innings to put pressure on India’s strong bowling attack.
“We need big runs. We need the guys who are talented enough to get to a hundred. Players like Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne and Travis Head are all in the top order. I don’t want 101 or 107, I want 180 and 200,” Lyon said.
The 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy will begin with the first Test of the five-match series on November 22 in Perth.
Also Read: Shreyas Iyer’s Test career comes to an end, Jay Shah hammers the final nail into the coffin