The West Test: Australia desperate for elusive Border-Gavaskar Trophy success as series opens in Perth

Australia’s 2004 victory on Indian shores was dubbed their final frontier. Captain Pat Cummins feels the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series starting on Friday in Perth carries the same weight.

Cummins is one of six players set to start The West Test at Optus Stadium that have never beaten India before. Steve Smith, Mitch Marsh, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon featured in the gruelling 2014-15 series the hosts won 2-0.

Now, in their final showdown against Indian master Virat Kohli, Cummins believes a drought-busting series victory would elevate his team as a dynasty.

Australia’s ageing team, where only debutant Nathan McSweeney will be under the age of 30, is about to begin a period of transformation.

“For about half the changeroom, we haven’t won the Border-Gavaskar, so it is kind of one of the last things to tick off for a lot of us,” Cummins said.

“Almost every challenge we have had thrown at us over the past few years we have stepped up and done well.

“To do that for another year, another home summer, would cement us as, rather than just being a two or three season thing, it’s into a half-generation thing.

“We are all excited, we know India are up there with one of the best teams in the world.”

India, who are coming off a 3-0 drubbing at the hands of New Zealand at home last month, are facing the same fate.

Rohit Sharma will miss the first Test for the birth of his child, but is set to return for what will be his final tour of Australia. Ravi Jadeja and Ravi Ashwin are both also on their final trips.

Smith and Kohli were the two top run-scorers when Australia won that series a decade ago and this will almost certainly be the final time they face off in whites.

The Australian camp feels that Smith, who will shift back to No.4 on Friday after spending four Tests opening, has returned to the form that crafted his finest summer in 2019 where he famously said he had “found his hands”.

“Smithy, I know every year the conversation is around his hands and whether he’s found them or not and I can report they have made their way to Perth, his hands, which is always good,” Cummins said.

“I have bowled a bit at him over the past few weeks, he looked really good in the ODIs, we had a couple of really good centre wickets out at New South Wales last week and he seems really settled, he hit a million balls like he always does.

“He looks really content with where his game is at, so expecting a big summer.”

And the Aussie skipper is just as confident in the batters coming in behind Smith, warning his middle-order of Travis Head, Mitch Marsh and Alex Carey could turn the game.

“It’s a pretty scary five, six, seven I think. If they come in and the bowlers already have plenty of overs in them it’s a pretty scary proposition,” Cummins said.

“Similarly we have seen some counter-punches where we are two or three down, four down, for not many and Marshy has pulled out a hundred or Heady has pulled out a hundred and changed the dynamics quickly.”

Cummins confirmed that Mitch Marsh is “definitely available to bowl” and will be used for at least a couple of spells.

But he also hinted very strongly that Marnus Labuschagne, who bowled a long spell of medium pace in the nets on Tuesday, will be used as part of a short-ball assault.

There are no secrets around Australia’s team for Friday, with Nathan McSweeney to open the batting on debut as the only change, replacing the injured Cam Green.