Hayden Predicts Australian Victory in BGT, but Warns of Indian Challenge

Matthew Hayden Predicts Australian Victory in Border-Gavaskar Trophy, but Cautions of Indian Threat

Former Australian batsman Matthew Hayden has predicted a home victory for Australia in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) series against India. However, he emphasized that the visiting Indian team, led by Rohit Sharma, will pose a formidable challenge.

India has emerged victorious in their last two Test tours of Australia, and they will aim to defend the BGT title in a five-match series starting with the first Test in Perth on November 24.

Hayden believes that Australia's home advantage has diminished due to the widespread use of drop-in pitches by Cricket Australia. Of the five venues hosting the BGT, three will feature drop-in pitches: Perth, Adelaide, and the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).

"I feel like there's less home advantage given the nature of the drop-in wickets than what had been previously there," Hayden said. "There are three drop-in venues -- Perth, Adelaide, and the MCG."

Adelaide will host the day-night second Test from December 6, while the MCG will stage the fourth Test, beginning on Boxing Day (December 26). The fifth Test in Sydney will commence on January 3, 2025.

"So you've got your two home venues in Brisbane and Sydney; those just happen to be the third and fifth Test match, which is a very different combination to any series that's been played there," Hayden added. "I feel like at the moment there is probably not that much home advantage in the Australian summer anymore due to the wicket conditions."

Before the start of the series, India will participate in a three-day warm-up match against India A, who will be touring Australia concurrently.

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