Ravi Shastri rubbishes Ricky Ponting's claims; confirms India will make a hat-trick of Test series wins in Australia

Former Team India head coach Ravi Shastri is confident about the Rohit Sharma-led team securing victory in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) in Australia.

Ravi Shastri highlighted that the Test series will be highly competitive and the visiting team can secure a hat-trick of series wins in Australia.

The India national cricket team will tour Australia for a five-match Test series later this year. Team India will enter the red-ball series to defend the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

India won their last two Test tours in Australia. It's worth noting that India hadn't won a red-ball series in Australia before the 2018-19 tour.

Australia took a 1-0 lead with an eight-wicket win in Adelaide in the 2020-21 series. The visiting team was bowled out for just 36 runs in the second innings of the pink-ball Test.

However, Team India bounced back to win in the Melbourne Test. They managed a draw in Sydney before securing a victory in Brisbane.

India Have Beaten Australia Twice - Ravi Shastri

Speaking on the ICC Review podcast, Ravi Shastri said that India has won the trophy on their last two tours. The former Indian all-rounder said that Australia hasn't beaten India for nearly a decade, which makes the upcoming series highly anticipated.

"The Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia over five Test matches is going to be a humdinger," Shastri said.

"Remember, India have beaten Australia twice on the last two tours and Australia have not had a hand on the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in almost a decade and that's the reason why everyone will be waiting for these two heavyweights of Test match cricket over the last five to eight years to go head-to-head," he added.

It Is Going To Be One Heck Of A Series - Ravi Shastri

The 62-year-old said that the Indian team needs to perform well with the bat to challenge Australia in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy series. Shastri said that India has quality bowlers for the conditions and can complete a hat-trick of series wins in Australia.

"It is going to be one heck of a series and India have every chance of making it a hat-trick because they've got their bowlers fit and if they can bat well, they can tickle (beat) Australia once again," Shastri added.

The Australian national cricket team has lost their last four Test series against India. However, they defeated the Men in Blue in the final match of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) to secure the trophy.

The two teams are top contenders for the final of the ongoing WTC cycle, as they are at the top of the table.

The Border-Gavaskar Trophy will begin with the Test match at Perth Stadium from November 22 to 26. Adelaide will host the pink-ball Test match, starting on December 6.

The two teams will then play in Brisbane and Melbourne before concluding the series with the New Year's Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

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