The highlight of Australia’s Test summer is about to begin, as India have arrived Down Under for a five-Test series that will determine the destination of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, and help determine the final standings of the World Test Championship. As the series criss-crosses Australia throughout November, December, and January, we’ll bring you all you need to know about the Australia vs India Test series, plus more on the Australian cricket fixtures to enjoy this summer.

When and where are Australia’s Tests vs India being played?

Five Tests to play mean that the nation’s five top cricket grounds have been called into action once more. As has been a new norm in recent years, Brisbane’s Gabba won’t host the opening Test against India. That honour has gone westwards, to Perth’s Optus Stadium, which replaced the iconic WACA as the city’s Test venue a few years ago. There’s no change to Melbourne’s Boxing Day Test, or Sydney’s New Year’s Test, though. Here’s the full schedule of the Australian cricket fixtures against India:

• First Test – Perth, Optus Stadium, November 22-26
• Second Test – Adelaide, Adelaide Oval, December 6-10 (D/N)
• Third Test – Brisbane, The Gabba, December 14-18
• Fourth Test – Melbourne, MCG, December 26-30
• Fifth Test – Sydney, SCG, January 3-7

Australian cricket fans will take heart from the team being unbeaten at Optus Stadium in the four Tests played there so far, whilst a fast pitch and a trio of world-class Aussie quicks will pose serious questions for India’s batting lineup. Meanwhile, Adelaide’s first day/night Test since 2021 will bring unwelcome memories for India, who were humbled for a staggering 36 all out the last time they visited the ground. Finally, the Sydney Test will continue to be a Pink Test in support of the McGrath Foundation, with Day 3 designated as Jane McGrath Day – attendees are invited to wear pink whichever day they visit.

What’s at stake?

Arguably Australia’s second-favourite Test series trophy to win (let’s face it, nothing beats The Ashes), the Border-Gavaskar Trophy is named for two iconic captains of Australia and India, and has been officially contested since 1996. India are the current holders after victory on home soil in 2023, meaning that Australia will need to win the series to take it back — a drawn series will be enough for India to retain the trophy.

Also on offer are crucial points for the World Test Championship, with only the top two teams in the world invited to contest the title at Lords Cricket Ground in London in June 2025. Currently, those two teams happen to be Australia and India, but with Sri Lanka, New Zealand, and South Africa not far behind, any points lost could offer an opportunity for the chasing pack to sneak in.

Australia are the current World Test Champions, owing to a victory over India in the one-off Test at The Oval in London back in June 2023 — a result which has helped stoke the rivalry into one of Test cricket’s very best.

Who’s in Australia’s Test squad?

There’s a big change at the top of the order for Australia’s upcoming Test fixtures, as South Australia’s uncapped Nathan McSweeney has been given the task of partnering Usman Khawaja at opener, as selectors try to find a long-term replacement for David Warner. McSweeney has carried over some rich form from last year’s Sheffield Shield into this summer, and captained Australia A in their recent fixtures against India A. Despite this, his most recent match was his first time opening the batting in first-class cricket, as the selection team trust in technique over experience.

Elsewhere, Steve Smith drops back to his preferred middle-order spot, whilst the other changes see Josh Inglis called up as batting cover, and Scott Boland backing up the established pace trio of Cummins, Hazlewood, and Starc. The thirteen-man Australian cricket squad has been picked for the opening Test, and may see changes as the series progresses, though one constant is Pat Cummins continuing to lead the side as captain.

Projected Australia XI: Usman Khawaja, Nathan McSweeney, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (captain), Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon. Extras: Scott Boland, Josh Inglis.

And what about India’s Test team?

As the visiting side, India have named a full-strength squad for the tour, though who will make the final XI for the first Test is still to be decided. Players such as Dhruv Jurel and KL Rahul got a tune-up with an appearance in one of the India A vs Australia A matches, whilst the squad has been training in secrecy at the WACA ahead of the opening Test. This is most likely the final tour of Australia for a pair of modern Indian giants, as Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli — creator of some imperious innings on previous tours here — will be into their 40s the next time India are schedule to tour.

India touring squad: Rohit Sharma, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Sarfaraz Khan, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Akash Deep, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna

Projected India XI: Jaiswal, Gill, Sharma (c), Kohli, Pant (wkt), Khan, Jadeja, Sundar, Bumrah, Deep, Siraj.

How can I watch the Australia-India Test matches?

All five Tests will be available free-to-air, and you can watch them on Channel 7. Foxtel’s Fox Cricket channel is also screening the Australian cricket matches, but you’ll need a subscription to watch those. Venues around Melbourne will also likely have the game on screens if you wanted a more social way to watch; we’d suggest The Crafty Squire as one possible option. Of course, if you want to get closest to the action, a few tickets are still available for the Boxing Day Test here in Melbourne.

How have Australia performed so far this summer?

Australia’s summer of cricket has started in relatively uneven fashion with an ODI and T20 series against Pakistan, concluding on November 18 with a T20 in Hobart. After starting with a nervier-than-needed two wicket win in the first ODI, Australia crashed to two crushing defeats in the next two games — albeit with some key Test players rested in the series decider — to lose the series 2-1. A rain-affected win in the opening match of the T20 series has restored some Aussie pride, but all Test players have been rested for the series in order to prepare for the India matchup.

We’ll keep you in the loop with more info as the series progresses, and hopefully Australia can earn us bragging rights over our pals at Secret Mumbai and Secret New Delhi!