Mitchell Starc undermines Ashes' legacy, elevates Border-Gavaskar Trophy to elite status

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

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

Mitchell Starc compares expanded Border-Gavaskar Trophy to Ashes Series

Mitchell Starc’s comparison highlighted the growing stature of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, especially considering the intense rivalry and high stakes involved between the two cricket giants. The seasoned pacer has also emphasized the challenges posed by India’s strong lineup 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 in Australia’s favor this time, and even the hosts are setting sights on a potential clean sweep. Notably, the upcoming Test series holds more significance in the context of the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 standings, where India currently leads and Australia sits in second place.

Very exciting series coming up for the fans and players: Mitchell Starc

Mitchell Starc was quoted as saying by Wide World of Sports: “Being five matches now, it's probably right on par with an Ashes series. We always want to win every game at home, and we know India are a very strong team. As we're placed at the minute, we're the top two teams on the Test ladder.

So a very exciting series coming up for the fans and certainly the players. Hopefully when we're sitting there on the 8th of January, we 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. Well, the 34-year-old pacer has expressed his commitment to the Test cricket game, saying the prospect of reaching a century of Test matches is a milestone that would always be special and he would cherish.

Mitchell Starc set for big Test milestone

Starc said that he would always pick Test cricket ahead of everyone. The star pacer signed off by saying, “Every time I get to wear the baggy green cap, it feels very special. Hopefully it's five times through the summer with five wins and we can sing that song five times, then we move on from there. If it does come to a point where I'm lucky enough to get past that 100 number, then it's obviously going to 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 they host Pakistan in a multi-format series in November before the India tour.