 "India lost the only Test match they have played at the Optus Stadium in Perth, in 2018. AP")
The stage is set for the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Test series between Australia and India. Perth’s Optus Stadium will host the first Test between the two heavyweights starting from 22 November (Friday). The Test series will be a five-match affair and will be part of the 2023-25 World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, which means there’s a lot at stake ahead of the WTC 2025 final at Lord’s in June next year.
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Perth hosting the first Test of the Australian home season is a change in tradition, with Brisbane’s The Gabba having previously hosted the opening match of the Australian summer on most occasions.
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Ahead of the Australia-India Test series opener in Perth, here’s all you need to know about the venue, including India’s record, pitch report and more:
Optus Stadium, Perth pitch report
The pitch at the Optus Stadium in Perth could reportedly assist the pacers quite significantly, which could make life difficult for the batters. However, with Perth witnessing unusual rain over the last few days, the pitch was covered entirely on Tuesday, which has significantly reduced the time for the ground staff to prepare the pitch ahead of the first Test.
“Yesterday, we pretty much lost the whole day of prep with it [pitch] being under cover,” Perth pitch curator Isaac McDonald said on Wednesday, as per ESPNCricinfo. “We saw the forecast early on, and we started prep a little bit earlier than we normally would,” he added.
Despite the rain, the curator says the pitch will continue to offer pace and bounce. “I don’t think the weather is going to make this pitch fall apart. There’ll be some deterioration, grass will stand up during the game and offer that variable bounce but in terms of big snake WACA cracks, unfortunately I don’t think the weather is going to get us there,” he said.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsIndia’s record at Optus Stadium, Perth
Played: 1
Won: 0
Lost: 1
Drawn: 0
India played their only Test at the Optus Stadium in Perth during the 2018-19 tour of Australia. That was the second Test of the four-match series. Australia won that Test by 146 runs, with Nathan Lyon winning Player of the Match award for his figures of 5/67 and 3/39.
India have also played four Tests at the WACA, Perth, and only won once, with that win coming in 2008.
Overall Test record at Optus Stadium, Perth
Matches played: 4
Matches won after teams batted first: 4
Highest team Test total: Australia 598/4 vs West Indies, 2022
Lowest team Test total: Pakistan 89 all out vs Australia, 2023
Highest individual score: Marnus Labuschagne (Australia) 204 vs West Indies, 2022
Best bowling figures: Mohammed Shami (India) 6/56 vs Australia, 2018
Most runs scored in Tests at Optus Stadium, Perth: Marnus Labuschagne (519 runs)
Most wickets taken in Tests at Optus Stadium, Perth: Nathan Lyon (27 wickets)