Usman Khawaja: The Indians Love Beating Australia In Any Form Of Cricket

India vs Australia rivalry in cricket is one of the fiercest and most celebrated in the sport. Over the decades, it has evolved into a clash that captivates fans worldwide, often producing thrilling moments, intense competition, and historic matches across all formats. Now, both teams are set to lock horns against each other in a Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.

Australia’s prolific opener Usman Khawaja talked about the rivalry between India and Australia over the last few decades. He also said the Indians loved beating Australia in any form of cricket. Today, we will what exactly Usman Khawaja has to say about the India vs Australia rivalry and how he feels about the growth of Indian cricket. So let’s start.

Bordar-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25: Another intense series awaits

As we said earlier, India and Australia have had many legendary Test series, especially in the modern era. The Border-Gavaskar Trophy, named after Allan Border and Sunil Gavaskar, is now one of the most coveted series in world cricket. Historic encounters, such as India’s 2-1 series win in Australia in 2020-21, after a dramatic comeback from being bowled out for 36, cemented their rivalry as one of the greatest.

India also won a test series in the Bordar-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2018. Now, both the teams are set to take on each other again in a 5-match test series, starting from November 22 at Perth. The fans are already anticipating a close series, looking at the history between the two teams. They are eagerly waiting for things to unfold.

Usman Khawaja on the India vs Australia rivalry

The Aussie test opener, Usman Khawaja has also acknowledged the intense rivalry between India and Australia. He talked about the presence of the two teams in the ICC (International Cricket Council) finals in the recent past. Khawaja also said the Indians loved beating Australia in any form of cricket.

“We’re the world number one and number two teams really over the last two years. We attended the last World Test Championship together. There has always been intense competition. I view it as a show of respect, and I am aware that Indians enjoy defeating Australians in all forms of cricket.” Usman Khawaja regarding the rivalry between Australia and India.

Khawaja remarked, “I believe it’s always been a priority for Indians to defeat Australia.”

Khawaja also emphasized Australia’s longstanding record of greatness, which has solidified its position as the sport’s leading force. He stated, “Australia’s long-standing tradition of being one of the dominant teams in world cricket has solidified their reputation.”

Khawaja on the rise of Indian cricket and the IPL

We have seen over the years that Indian cricket has reached new heights in the last two decades or so. They have been dominating world cricket and they have produced so many great players over the years. Usman Khawaja also talked about the growth of Indian cricket and the role of IPL (Indian Premier League).

“With the rise of IPL & India cricket and other factors, the rivalry between Australia and India has grown in a similar way. And particularly since India’s beaten Australia in Australia the last two times… It just means a little bit more.” Khawaja on the rise of Indian cricket.

India vs Australia: Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 Schedule

The series will start on November 22 in Perth. Let’s see the full schedule of the series.

An opportunity for India | Australia wants redemption

Before the BGT 2018, India hasn’t won a test series against Australia in Australia. They won in 2018 but there was a tag of not having a full-fledged Australian team with David Warner and Steve Smith got banned due to Sandpaper Gate.

Then comes the BGT 2020-21 series, and this time, it was rather the Indian team who struggled with the team combinations due to numerous injuries. They were bowled out for just 36 in the 2^nd inning of the first test and lost the game. India went on to win a historic test series by 2-1 in the end.

As far as Australia is concerned, they last beat Team India in a BGT in 2014-15 at home. They lost the away series in 2017 and 2023 and lost at home in 2018-19 and 2020-21. They will look to redeem themselves this time, and especially, they took a lot of pride in winning at home.

Conclusion

So this is what Usman Khawaja thinks about the India vs Australia rivalry. He is one of the most crucial batters for Australia recently and has done well against India in the past. He will look to start well in the series.

What do you think? Who will win the Bordar-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25?

⏩ NPL 2024: Nepal Premier League To Feature 8 Teams

FAQs:-

(1) What are the head-to-head of India vs Australia in tests?

Australia and India have faced off in 107 Test matches. India won 32 of these 107 matches, while Australia won 45. 29 games ended in draws.

(2) Has any team won three consecutive test series in Australia?

Yes. England, West Indies, and South Africa are the three teams who won three consecutive test series against Australia in Australia.

(3) Which batter has scored the most runs in the last BGT series?

Usman Khawaja scored the most runs in the last BGT series, which happened in early 2023 in India. He scored 333 runs in 4 games with an average of 47.57.

(4) Which bowler has the most wickets in BGT history?

Nathan Lyon, with 116 wickets is the highest wicket-taker in BGT history.