BCCI confirms end of traditional 4-match Test series for Border-Gavaskar Trophy

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced on Friday that the upcoming Australia tour of India is going to be the last of the traditional four-Test series as part of the Border-Gavaskar series.

"This will also be the last edition of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy which will be a 4-match Test series feature," read the statement from BCCI.

Since 2003/04, when India toured Australia, the Border-Gavaskar Trophy has been a four-Test series, with the 2010/11 contest being a two-Test contest. The last time a series featured five Tests was in 1991/92.

Earlier this year, in August, the ICC released the Men's FTP cycle for 2023-27, which includes two sets of five-match series for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in the upcoming ICC World Test Championship cycles. According to the FTP, Australia will host India for the first five-match Border-Gavaskar series in the 2023-25 WTC cycle, followed by a reciprocal tour in the 2025-27



cycle.

The BCCI also announced the squad for the first two games of a four-Test series against Australia beginning on February 9. Rohit, who missed India's series win over Bangladesh in December due to a thumb injury, returns to the Test squad as captain.

Batters Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan, who have represented India in shorter formats, could make their Test debuts against Australia after being named in the squad.

Jasprit Bumrah, who has been struggling with a back injury, and Rishabh Pant, who suffered multiple injuries in a car crash last month, were not included in the squad. Ravindra Jadeja's inclusion in the Test squad is subject to fitness.

INDIA SQUAD FOR FIRST TWO AUSTRALIA TESTS: Rohit Sharma (capt.), KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KS Bharat, Ishan Kishan, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat, Suryakumar Yadav.