Border-Gavaskar Trophy: Blockbuster Australia vs India 5-Test series to kick off on November 22 in Perth

Perth Stadium has taken the title of Australia's preferred first Test venue, edging out the Gabba, as it sets the stage for the five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy starting on November 22 this year. Following Perth, the series will transition to Adelaide for the day-night Test, then proceed to Brisbane, Melbourne for the iconic Boxing Day Test, and finally to Sydney for the New Year's Test.

Cricket Australia revealed their international schedule for the upcoming summer, highlighting the Border-Gavaskar Trophy as the premier event. After Perth, the second Test will feature a day-night pink-ball match held at Adelaide Oval from December 6-10, followed by the third Test in Brisbane from December 14-18. The MCG will host the fourth Test on December 26, continuing the cherished Boxing Day tradition, while the fifth Test will take place at the SCG starting January 3.

Perth's newest venue boasts an impeccable record for Australia, having secured victory in all four Tests played there, including the inaugural match against India in December 2018, despite India eventually claiming the series. Notably, Perth was not included as a venue for the Australia-India Test series in 2020-21, where India emerged victorious, with the final Test held in Brisbane.

Peter Roach, Cricket Australia's scheduling chief, attributed the decision to award Perth the first Test over Brisbane to a variety of factors. The primary tipping point was the favorable broadcast timezone for both Australian east coast audiences and viewers in India.

"The clear advice from our national team is that there is a preference to start series strongly at venues where they're really comfortable and Perth and Brisbane they believe are somewhat comparable in terms of the advantage they get out of that," Roach said. "They're the hardest and bounciest pitches in Australia. They also believe that playing day-night Tests in Adelaide is a significant advantage and the stats there are pretty conclusive too."

"So they will look at this schedule and some will say Gabba first would have been better than Perth. Others will say Perth then Gabba. I think that gap has really closed in recent times and the way our players think about that, and having Adelaide as the day-night Test, they'll be really buoyed about that again. So we're really comfortable that this gives us a great opportunity to compete with a really strong Indian team," he added.

Australia aims to capitalize on their advantage by beginning the Test series with matches in Perth and Adelaide. However, a nine-day gap has been introduced between the first two Tests. It's understood that the BCCI is eager to utilize this period for India's players to engage in specific pink-ball practice. Various options are being considered, including the scheduling of some form of match practice. While a Prime Minister's XI match in Canberra is being considered, it's yet to be determined whether it will take place before or after the first Test.

• Adelaide
• Adelaide Oval
• Australia
• BCCI
• Border-Gavaskar Trophy
• Boxing Day Test
• Brisbane
• Canberra
• Cricket
• Cricket Australia
• Gabba
• Gabba first
• India
• India viewers
• Melbourne
• New Year's Test
• Perth Stadium
• Peter Roach
• Prime Minister's XI
• SCG
• Sydney
• advantage
• broadcast timezone
• day-night Tests
• day-night pink-ball match
• east coast audiences
• gap
• inaugural match
• international summer
• match practice
• pink-ball practice
• pitches
• preferred first Test venue
• record
• scheduling chief
• series schedule
• victory