It’s finally here.

The first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy gets underway in Perth on Friday, with Australia and India preparing to embark on what promises to be an enthralling five-match campaign.

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India has won the previous four battles, with Australia’s most recent triumph coming way back in 2014/15 – and the reigning World Test Championship victors will be desperate to end the ten-year drought over the coming weeks.

The series opener gets underway at Perth Stadium on Friday at 1.20pm AEDT.

WILL LABUSCHAGNE FIND HIS FEET?

The recent form of Marnus Labuschagne at Test level has flown somewhat under the radar across the last two years, with the number three bat short on the runs that he pummelled at the beginning of his international career.

At 30 years of age, the Queenslander will soon — if not already — be entering his prime in the all-important position of first drop, previously held by the likes of Sir Donald Bradman, Ricky Ponting, David Boon and even teammate Steve Smith.

Those first three names — and arguably even Smith — defined their legacy in the notoriously tricky place to bat, and Labuschagne isn’t far off following suit.

The right-hander has all the tools in the kitbag to become one of Australia’s modern-day greats; a sound technique, patience, elegance — and perhaps most importantly, a great love for the game.

But a combined average of 33.65 across 2023 and 2024 (with one hundred from 35 innings) would suggest that Labuschagne is “feeling a little bit of pressure,” explains Australian modern-era great Michael Hussey on Fox Cricket’s The Follow-On podcast.

“I’m sure he’ll be feeling a little bit of pressure; he’s a guy that just loves batting, and when he’s not scoring as many runs as he would like, then you start getting a little bit anxious,” Hussey begun by saying.

“He’ll want to start the series off really well. I’ve been watching him pretty closely in the lead up to this Test series, and he’s practising really well.

“His technique looks solid, he looks nice and sound — he’s made a couple little small adjustments from a game plan point of view, about where he thinks India are going to bowl to him.”

Rightly, there have been bigger questions asked of Australia’s batting order in recent times instead of Labuschagne’s form; namely who would replace David Warner as opener after his retirement.

Labuschagne also has plenty of credits in the bank, given his incredible start to life as in international cricketer — and at Test level, he still averages only a tick under 50.

But should he start this summer off in a lean patch, “the tension will just start to rise,” says Hussey.

“The critics out there will sort of start coming to the floor, but that’s what Test cricket is all about — as a player, you’ve just got to try and somehow deal with all those external distractions and just focus on what’s really important to you out in the middle,” Hussey explained.

“Every player goes through certain periods of their career where the runs just aren’t flowing as much as what you’d hope … but we know he’s a quality player, and we know there’s probably big runs just around the corner.”

IS INDIA’S MISSING QUICK A ‘HUGE LOSS’?

Former Australian cricketer Mark Waugh believes the loss of fast bowler Mohammed Shami has left a “big hole” in India’s Test side ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series opener.

Shami underwent ankle surgery in February and subsequently missed selection for the Test tour of Australia. The 34-year-old was instrumental during India’s triumph on Australian soil in 2018/19, taking 16 wickets at 26.18 as the tourists clinched a historic 2-1 series win.

Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj will lead India’s pace attack this summer, joined by inexperienced quicks Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana and uncapped all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy. Deep, Krishna and Rana have collectively taken 12 Test wickets, while Krishna is the only member of the trio that has played Test cricket outside India.

Across the gruelling five-Test campaign, India is expected to rotate through their pace bowlers as injury and workload management takes its toll.

Speaking to Fox Cricket, Waugh warned that India might struggle to fill the void left by Shami’s absence, acknowledging the touring party’s largely untested pace cartel.

“Mohammad Shami is a huge loss,” Waugh said.

“That’s a big hole for them to fill and I don’t know whether they can fill it.

“You’ve still got Jasprit Bumrah, who’s world class. He’s as good as anybody.

“Siraj is probably not at his peak at the moment, but he’s a good bowler. Who else can they play? I’m not sure.

“There’s quality there, but Bumrah’s the big threat.”

Last week, Shami make his long-awaited return in Bengal’s Ranji Trophy clash against Madhya Pradesh in Indore, his first match in 360 days. The right-armed quick claimed seven wickets across the first-class game, but more importantly got through 43 overs unscathed.

Pending how his body holds up, he could be rushed across to Australia for the second half of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

CAN MCSWEENEY HANDLE THE HEAT?

It’s been 47 years since an Australian debutant opened the batting without having done so at Sheffield Shield level, but Nathan McSweeney has been handed the responsibility of taking on India’s world-class pace attack on a bouncy deck at Perth Stadium — a venue where he’s never played first-class cricket.

The 25-year-old opened the batting during this month’s Australia A match against India A at the MCG, notching scores of 14 and 25 — it remains the only occasion he’s faced the new ball at first-class level.

Speaking to Fox Cricket’s Kath Loughnan ahead of the first Test against India, which gets underway on Friday, McSweeney brushed aside concerns about moving up the order, arguing the transition from No. 3 to opener isn’t too jarring.

“I feel like my game’s in a good spot, and I’m definitely confident I can handle it,” McSweeney said.

“In terms of preparation and planning, nothing changes.

“Batting No. 3 for most of my career, you can be out second ball of the game. You can be facing the ball before the other opener faces a ball.

“I’ve just got to pad up a little bit earlier.

“Having that time to get your mind ready is probably the most important thing.”

Last season, McSweeney accumulated 762 runs at 40.11 with three hundreds, starting his 2024/25 season with a match-saving ton against New South Wales at Cricket Central. His unbeaten 88 against India A in Mackay convinced the national selectors he was ready for Test cricket.

“It’s going to be a dream come true,” McSweeney said.

“Steve Smith and Pat Cummins were the first to (text congratulations).

“It took a while to realise they’re my teammates now and not superstars that I watched on TV growing up as a kid.”

Meanwhile, Australian captain Pat Cummins has urged rookie opener McSweeney not to try to “imitate David Warner” during his Test debut.

“Davey is very hard to replace in many ways, but I think the most important thing for someone like Nath coming in is to play his own game,” Cummins said.

“He doesn’t need to strike at 80 like Davey did if that’s not his game.

“I’d love to see them bring the best out of each other.”

HOW WILL BUMRAH FARE AS SKIPPER?

With captain Rohit Sharma unavailable due to the birth of his second child, Jasprit Bumrah has been tasked with leading India for the series opener in Perth.

The 30-year-old has captained India in the Test arena before – the 2022 Birmingham match against England – but leading his country in a series opener against Australia is completely different kettle of fish.

Speaking to reporters in Perth on Thursday, Australian skipper Pat Cummins confessed it took him ten Test matches to feel comfortable in his role as a fast bowling captain.

“I’d say (it took) maybe a summer or so, maybe ten Test matches until you’re fully comfortable,” Cummins said.

“But I don’t think I particularly changed too much over those ten Test matches.

“Your intuition gets a little bit stronger, but even when I was really new to it I’ve obviously got wonderful teammates who are helping you out. So you never really feel like you’re out there alone.”

However, Bumrah is adamant the added leadership responsibility will aid his bowling rather than hinder it.

“I can manage myself the best when I am the captain,” he told reporters.

“Because I know when I am fresh, I know when I have to push myself and I know when I have to take extra responsibility. Obviously yes, there are different challenges but there are advantages as well.

“You understand where the wicket is changing, what changes you have to make, what field sets are good at this moment.”

COULD SMITH REACH 10,000 RUNS?

Steve Smith is on the verge of joining an illusive club.

Only three Australians have passed the 10,000-run milestone in Tests – former captains Ricky Ponting, Allan Border and Steve Waugh – while Smith is just 315 runs away from becoming the fourth.

If the Australian vice-captain gets his Border-Gavaskar Trophy campaign off to a solid start, he could celebrate the feat in front of friends at the SCG in January.

Or, if he rediscovers his career-best form from 2019, he could get it done within the fortnight.

“I know every summer the conversation’s around his hands, and whether he’s found them or not,” Cummins laughed on Sunday.

“I can report they’ve made their way to Perth, which is good.

“He seems really settled. He’s hit a million balls, like he does, but he looks really content with where his game’s at.

“Expecting a big summer.”

Most Test runs for Australia

13,378 – Ricky Ponting

11174 – Allan Border

10927 – Steve Waugh

9685 – Steve Smith

8786 – David Warner