India's biggest challenge yet in the home season is about to get underway when the hosts take on Australia in the first Test clash of the four-match series, famously known as Border Gavaskar Trophy. The first Test match between India and Australia is set up at Nagpur, scheduled to kick-off from February 09 (Thursday). The match's starting time is 09:30 am and the toss will be held at 09:00 am. India are the current holders of the Border Gavaskar Trophy and will be desperate to retain the title for third time in a row. Why is India vs Australia Test Series Called Border-Gavaskar Trophy? What Does BGT Stand for? Know All About IND vs AUS Cricket Series.

With the World Test Championship (WTC) final lined-up later this year, India, one of the probable finalists, is yet to qualify for the summit clash officially. Meanwhile, Australia, after their 2-0 series win against South Africa, have gotten closer to making the final already. As for Men-in-Blue, the Border Gavaskar Trophy is the final sprint to make their consecutive qualification to the WTC final possible. The Rohit Sharma-led side will have to win by a minimum 2-0 margin against Australia in the upcoming Test series to meet them again at the Oval in June. 'Pathaan Can Handle Aussies' Iceland Cricket Suggests India Should Pick 'Shah Rukh Khan's Character' from His Recent Movie in Their Squad

India's playing XI will surely miss the services of their Test experts Rishabh Pant in the batting line-up and Jasprit Bumrah in the bowling department. The two have been match-winners in Test cricket for India in recent times. However, with Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul and Chetaswar Pujara in the team, the batting core is sorted for India. And with Mohammed Siraj's recent performance and Mohammed Shami, India's pace attack is also in good shape to tackle the Australian side. The second-highest wicket-taker in tests for India in 2022, Ravichandran Ashwin, will lead the spin attack along with Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja.

Australia, on the other hand, are also in good shape, with Usman Khwaja, Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne all in decent form. Nathon Lyon, who remained Australia's leading wicket-taker in 2022, will lead the spin attack along with Mitchell Swepson, Todd Murphy and Ashton Agar. The mouthwatering pace attack of Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, Scott Boland and Lance Morris led by Pat Cummins looks as threatening as ever. Shubman Gill, Mohammed Siraj Nominated for ICC Player of the Month Award for January 2023.

IND vs AUS Head-to-Head Record in Tests

The two teams have faced each other in 102 Test matches so far. Australia dominate the head-to-head record with 43 wins. Meanwhile, India have been victorious 30 times. A total of 28 matches ended in draws while only one match got tied.

IND vs AUS 1st Test 2023 Key Players

Key Players

Usman Khawaja

Marnus Labuschagne

Pat Cummins

Cheteshwar Pujara

Mohammed Siraj

IND vs AUS 1st Test 2023 Mini Battles

Steve Smith versus Mohammed Siraj and a duel between Virat Kohli and Nathon Lyon are the two key battles to look forward to.

IND vs AUS 1st Test 2023 Venue and Match Timing

The first Test match between India and Australia will be played at Vidarbha Cricket Stadium (VCA) in Nagpur, Maharashtra starting from February 9 to 13. The match's starting time is 09:30 am IST (Indian Standard Time) and the toss will be held at 09:00 am IST.

IND vs AUS 1st Test 2023 Live Telecast and Online Streaming

Star Sports Network have the broadcasting rights to live telecast the India vs Australia Border Gavaskar Trophy 2023 in India. Fans can tune into Star Sports Network channels to catch the live telecast of the 1st Test Match between India and Australia. Meanwhile, Disney+ Hotstar, the OTT platform of Star Network, will live stream India vs Australia Test series 2023. Fans can tune into the Disney+Hotstar app or website (with a premium subscription) to catch the online live streaming of the 1st Test match between India and Australia in India.

IND vs AUS 1st Test 2023 Likely Playing XI:

IND Likely Playing XI: Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill/Suryakumar Yadav, KS Bharat (w), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav/Axar Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami

AUS Likely Playing XI: Usman Khawaja, David Warner, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green/Peter Handscomb/Matt Renshaw, Alex Carey (w), Ashton Agar/Todd Murphy, Nathan Lyon, Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 08, 2023 12:11 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).