Australia captain Pat Cummins and star players Steve Smith and David Warner believe winning the upcoming Test series in India would be ‘bigger than the Ashes’.
The Baggy Greens face India in a four-match Test series starting on Thursday.
Australia, who will soon turn their attentions to an away Ashes series, have only won one of their previous 15 Tests in India.
Under Adam Gilchrist and Ricky Ponting, Australia won the 2004 series in India, but results since then have gone the way of the hosts.
Australia have not won an away Ashes series since 2001 but Cummins, Smith and Warner view a tour to India as the ‘toughest challenge in Test cricket’.
‘India is a difficult place to win a Test match, let alone a series, so if we are able to do that, it would be huge,’ Smith said ahead of the series. ‘If you win in India, it is bigger than an Ashes win.’
Australia opener Warner added: ‘Being a part of the last Ashes was fantastic, but to go to India and beat India in India is the toughest challenge in Test cricket for us.’
After touring India, Australia will switch their attentions to an Ashes series in England this summer.
The tourists will aim to retain the urn, having thumped England 4-0 at home in 2021-22. The last Ashes series in England finished 2-2.
Australia captain Cummins said: ‘Winning a series in India is like an Ashes away win but even more rare. It will be a career highlight, an era-defining series, if we win there.’
Fast bowler Mitchell Starc, who has been ruled out of the first Test, added: ‘Winning in India has always been the crown jewel for Australian touring teams.
‘It’s one of, if not the, hardest place to play away. On one side you’ve got all this history of the Ashes but on the other you have this tour of India, which has been, for many Australian teams, out of reach.’
Australia and India, sitting first and second in the ICC rankings, will likely meet in the World Test Championship final in June shortly before the Ashes.
England are ranked No. 3 in the world in red-ball cricket, having enjoyed a sensational second-half to 2022 under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum.
They beat New Zealand, India, South Africa and Pakistan, winning nine of their 10 Test matches following the Ashes loss and a defeat to West Indies in the Caribbean.
MORE : Jos Buttler remains positive despite England’s latest ODI series defeat
MORE : Michael Vaughan joins calls for Shane Warne to replace the Queen on Australian banknotes
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Share your story or advertise with us: Whatsapp: +2347068606071 Email: info@newspotng.com
