Will be exciting to watch Kohli, Smith go head-to-head: Maxwell

New Delhi, Sep 13 (IANS) Australia's big-hitting all-rounder Glenn Maxwell said seeing premier batters Steve Smith and Virat Kohli go head-to-head in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy will make for a pretty exciting watch.Smith has amassed 2042 runs in 19 Tests against India, averaging an incredible 65.87 with nine centuries and five fifties against his name. On the other hand, Kohli has also made the same number of runs in 25 Tests against Australia at a remarkable average of 47.48, including hitting eight tons.

In 13 Test matches Kohli has played in Australia, the right-handed batter has amassed 1,352 runs, including six centuries and four fifties, at an average of 54.08. "I think probably the way that the two superstar batters, Steve Smith and Virat Kohli, probably head-to-head, seeing how their dominance, I suppose, is asserted in the series and how much of an influence that has on who takes home the Border Gavaskar Trophy.

"One of those two is going to make a lot of runs, if not both of them, and it's going to be pretty exciting to watch the two of the finest players of our generation go head-to-head," said Maxwell to Star Sports.

The 2024/25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy will see India and Australia play Test matches in Perth, Adelaide (pink-ball match), Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney from November 22 to January 7, 2025. India has won Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia the last two times it was played here in 2018/19 and 2020/21.

It will also be the first five-match Test series between India and Australia since 1991/92. Before the marquee series starts on November 22 in Perth, India will also have its A team play two four-day matches against Australia A at Great Barrier Reef Arena in Mackay (October 31 Oct to November 3) and the MCG (November 7-10), followed by an intra-squad India match to take place at the WACA Ground, Perth from November 15-17.