Star Australia opener Usman Khawaja heaped praise on legendary India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and said that the 37-year-old always has a plan and is very strategic. In the upcoming days, Australia will take on India in the prestigious Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Ashwin has stunning numbers against Australia, he played 22 Test matches and 42 innings against the Aussies, in which he has picked up 114 wickets at an economy rate of 2.70. While playing 10 Test matches on Aussie soil, Ashwin bagged 39 wickets at an economy rate of 2.93.

The most awaited Border-Gavaskar series between India and Australia will begin on November 22, with the first Test at Perth.

Over the years, India has regained an upper hand over Australia in the series. India has won its previous four series against Australia in a row, including two wins in Australia in the 2018-19 and 2020-21 seasons.

This has made India a much more successful side in the series, with India winning the BGT 10 times and Australia winning it five times, with their last series win coming in during the 2014-15 season. Their last series win in India was in 2004-05.

Speaking to Star Sports, Khawaja lauded Ashwin for always staying a step ahead in the game. The Aussie batter further added that he respect the Indian spinner’s “cricketing brain”.

“Ravi is a very good bowler. He is very strategic, he always has a plan. He always tries to figure it out. He is trying to get ahead of the game, one step ahead of the game, which I respect. I respect his cricketing brain. It’s always cool to play against, yeah I look forward to the challenge,” Khawaja said.

Ashwin made his Test debut in 2011 against the West Indies. Following that, he has 100 long-format matches and 189 innings, in which he has scalped 516 wickets at an economy rate of 2.81.

The second Test, scheduled for December 6 to 10 at Adelaide Oval, will feature the exciting day-night format under the stadium’s lights. After that, fans will turn their attention to The Gabba in Brisbane for the third Test, which will be held from December 14 to 18.

The customary Boxing Day Test, set for December 26 to 30 at Melbourne’s storied Melbourne Cricket Ground, will bring the series to its penultimate stage.

The fifth and final Test, to take place at the Sydney Cricket Ground from January 3 to 7, will serve as the series climax, promising a dramatic conclusion to an exciting contest.

Australian opener Usman Khawaja has voiced his opinion on Steve Smith’s batting position in the Test team. Following David Warner’s retirement, Smith was promoted to the top of the order, a move that has not been universally embraced. Smith’s performance as an opener in Tests has been inconsistent, raising questions ahead of the crucial Border-Gavaskar Trophy later this year. The reconfiguration of the batting lineup has allowed Australia to field their six best batters, with Cameron Green stepping into Smith’s previous role at No. 4.

Despite Smith’s willingness to bat anywhere in the order, Khawaja insists that the former captain should return to the No. 4 position.

“He’ll just probably never say it. So I’ll say it for him. Opening is a very important spot … (but) I still think we have the best Test player of my era in the side, in Steve Smith, and his best spot has been number four. I feel like that’s his best spot. I feel like the best balance for our team is (Marnus) Labuschagne three, Smith four,” Khawaja said as quoted by Fox Cricket.

Khawaja highlighted a noticeable decline in Australia’s scores since the lineup change.

In the eight innings following Warner’s retirement, Australia has surpassed the 300-run mark only once.

“For me, the number one consideration is ‘what’s best for the team?’. What order scores us the most runs? And if you look at how many runs we scored with Davey Warner in the team and Smudge batting at four, we scored a lot of runs. With Smudge opening, we’ve still won games, but I don’t think we’ve scored as many runs as we could’ve,” Khawaja added.

Smith’s individual performance as an opener has also been underwhelming, with just one fifty in eight innings and an average of 28.50, compared to his impressive average of 61.51 at No. 4.

The Border-Gavaskar series between India and Australia will begin on November 22, with the first Test at Perth.

The second Test, scheduled for December 6 to 10 at Adelaide Oval, will feature the exciting day-night format under the stadium’s lights. After that, fans will turn their attention to The Gabba in Brisbane for the third Test, which will be held from December 14 to 18.

The customary Boxing Day Test, set for December 26 to 30 at Melbourne’s storied Melbourne Cricket Ground, will bring the series to its penultimate stage.

The fifth and final Test, taking place at the Sydney Cricket Ground from January 3 to 7, will serve as the series climax, promising a dramatic conclusion to an exciting contest.

As the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) approaches, the cricketing world is abuzz with anticipation of what is widely regarded as one of the sport’s most intense rivalries, India versus Australia. The series, set to commence on November 22, features the top two teams in Test cricket, adding an extra layer of excitement. Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja has shared his thoughts on the significance of the rivalry. “We’re the world number one and number two teams really over the last two years. We were there at the last World Test Championship together. The rivalry has always been huge. I take it as a sign of respect, and I know that Indians love beating Australia in any form of cricket,” Khawaja said, according to Star Sports.

“The tradition that Australia has had over so many years as being one of the dominating teams in world cricket has staked that reputation,” he added.

He emphasized the tradition of excellence that Australia has maintained over the years which has cemented its reputation as a dominant force in world cricket.

“I think for Indians it’s always been the case to beat Australia,” Khawaja noted.

Khawaja also pointed out that the rise of Indian cricket, particularly through the Indian Premier League (IPL), has added another dimension to this rivalry.

The recent success of the Indian team, including back-to-back series wins in Australia, has intensified the competition.

“More recently, you know, since the rise of India and IPL and everything else that happened, it’s the same way with Australia against India. And particularly since India’s beaten Australia in Australia the last two times…. It just means a little bit more,” he added.

The second Test, scheduled for December 6 to 10 at Adelaide Oval, will feature the exciting day-night format under the stadium’s lights. After that, fans will turn their attention to The Gabba in Brisbane for the third Test, which will be held from December 14 to 18.

The customary Boxing Day Test, set for December 26 to 30 at Melbourne Cricket Ground, will bring the series to its penultimate stage.

The fifth and final Test, taking place at the Sydney Cricket Ground from January 3 to 7, will serve as the series climax, promising a dramatic conclusion to an exciting contest.

Usman Khawaja (left) and Pat Cummins during lie detector test.© YouTube/@Fox League

Mitchell Marsh (left) and Glenn Maxwell.© X (formerly Twitter)

He has had the best seat at the other end of the 22 yards watching David Warner in full flow and no wonder Usman Khawaja wants Australian team to give his opening partner a fitting farewell with a T20 World Cup triumph. Warner is set to retire from international cricket once Australia’s campaign in the ongoing T20 World Cup concludes, which Khawaja loves to believe will only be after winning the coveted final. “As a friend, I’d love to see him (Warner) finish on a high. He’s been playing some really good cricket. It’s been really nice to see. You can tell he’s just enjoying being out there. He’s playing pretty relaxed. So he should. Yeah, it would be good to see,” Khawaja told PTI Videos in an interview ahead of Australia’s last Super 8s match against India.

The veteran Australia opener is confident that a shock defeat against Afghanistan won’t stand in the way of Mitchell Marsh’s team winning the T20 World Cup for the second time since 2021.

Even if Australia lose to India in their last Super 8s match in Gros Islet on Monday evening (India time), Afghanistan will then have to meet improbable equations in order to beat them in net run-rate. “If Australia beats India and makes it to the semi-final, I think definitely, I think they can win. I think we’ve just got to get to the semi-final,” Khawaja said.

He spoke about Australia’s ability to lift their game at the knock-out stages.

“I think we’ve shown over the years that we’re a great knockout team. As soon as there’s a knockout situation, more times than not we’ve won, but we’ve just got to get there.” Khawaja praised Marsh for his leadership skills and his captaincy is a reflection of the kind of person he is.

“I think his captaincy is just him. It’s him as a person. He doesn’t try to be anything that he’s not. He’s relaxed. He goes out and plays the game, takes the game on, leads from the front, leads by his actions. So, I’ve really enjoyed watching his captaincy,” he said.

The 37-year-old Pakistan born batter, who has played 73 Tests for the ‘Baggy Greens’, also said that no team is invincible but acknowledged that India will be tough to get past.

“I mean, India’s always a threat. They have batters left, right and centre. They have great bowlers. They have excellent spinners. They have literally all bases covered. They always have. I wouldn’t go out and say India’s so far ahead, a better team than everyone else, because they’re not.

“So I think on any day, any team can beat anyone, particularly in T20 cricket,” he observed.

On Australia’s forthcoming series against India and the home Ashes in 2025, Khawaja termed both as pinnacle of cricketing contests.

“It’s always tough to beat India in India. But in the last couple of series, India has beaten Australia in Australia, which is never nice for an Australian. So, yeah, we’ve got a lot to play for. It’s a big series. To me, England and India are the two biggest series,” he exclaimed. PTI HN KHS Khawaja concluded by reflecting on the enduring popularity of Test cricket in Australia and the new golden ticket initiative taken by cricket Australia. “The baggy green is still the pinnacle of Australian cricket. I think we’re very lucky in Australia. I still think we get paid really well to play Test cricket. It’s not the same across the world. So, it’s a little bit different for us. We don’t have to try as hard. Because we have a long-standing tradition. And kids that grow up these days still want to get a baggy green,” he noted.