Australia’s premier fast bowler Mitchell Starc has his sights firmly set on the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 against India at home later this year. Starc stated that the upcoming Test series between India and Australia is equal to the prestigious Ashes series.

The upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 will be a five-match event for the first time since the 1991-92 season, marking a significant expansion from its traditional four-match Test series. And Starc believes this expanded Test series is a great opportunity to match the intensity and grandeur of the Ashes with the much-awaited Test series against Team India.

Mitchell Starc compares expanded Border-Gavaskar Trophy to Ashes series

Mitchell Starc’s comparison highlighted the growing importance of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, especially considering the intense rivalry and high stakes between the two cricketing giants. The seasoned all-rounder also highlighted the challenges posed by India’s strong line-up and the excitement surrounding the Test series between the top two teams.

Notably, Australia has not won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy since the 2014-15 season, with India emerging victorious in four consecutive series, including their historic back-to-back wins on Australian soil in the 2018-19 and 2020-21 tours.

However, Mitchell Starc is confident that the outcome of the upcoming Test series will be favourable for Australia this time around, and even the hosts are eyeing a possible clean sweep. Notably, the upcoming Test series holds more significance in the context of the 2023-25 ​​World Test Championship (WTC) standings, where India is currently leading and Australia is placed second.

A very exciting series is coming up for fans and players: Mitchell Starc

Mitchell Starc told Wide World of Sports: “Now that it’s five matches, it’s probably the same as an Ashes series. We always want to win every game at home and we know India are a very strong team. As we stand at the moment, we’re the top two teams in the Test rankings.

“It’s going to be a very exciting series for the fans and certainly for the players. We hope that when we get there on January 8th, we’ll have that trophy back on our shores.”

Mitchell Starc, who is just 11 matches away from joining an elite group of cricketers who have played 100 Test matches, has expressed his commitment to the game of Test cricket and said the prospect of reaching a hundred Test matches is a milestone that will always be special and one he will cherish.

Mitchell Starc set for big Test breakthrough

Starc said he would always choose Test cricket above all else. The star player concluded by saying, “Every time I put on the baggy green cap, I feel pretty special. Hopefully it will be five times over the summer with five wins and we can sing that song five times, and then we’ll just go on from there. If there comes a time when I’m lucky enough to get past that 100th, then obviously that will be pretty special as well.”

Notably, Australia will next travel to the UK for the three-match T20I series against Scotland and England in September. They will also play five ODIs in England before hosting Pakistan in a multi-format series in November ahead of the tour of India.