As the winter season approaches, cricket fans around the globe have much to look forward to with three thrilling tours featuring some of the sport's most storied rivalries. Throughout summer in the Northern Hemisphere, England has taken center stage. They have knocked off both the West Indies and Sri Lanka on home turf as they look to establish a new-look side as a genuine contender in the World Test Championship.
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However, now attention turns to the subcontinent and the Southern Hemisphere. As the warm weather descended south, so did the best cricketing action. Here are two huge tours taking place later this year that you should be excited about.
Indian Tour of Australia
The Indian tour of Australia is a much-anticipated series, set to rekindle one of cricket's most competitive rivalries. In recent years, the Men in Blue have dominated their counterparts from the Land Down Under, clinging on to the Border–Gavaskar Trophy for a decade. However, the Baggy Greens recently had their revenge by defeating the Indians in the Cricket World Cup final late last year, in India no less.
Now, attention turns to Australia and whether India can continue to dominate Steve Smith and Co. Scheduled to take place from December to January, the series will feature a mix of Test matches, One Day Internationals, and T20 games, with the highlight being the Boxing Day Test match at the MCG. There have been some blockbuster encounters between the two nations in recent years and further are expected this time around as well.
Key players to watch include India's Virat Kohli, whose aggressive batting and leadership have inspired the team to success in previous tours. The iconic batsman is the most recognizable person in the entirety of the subcontinent thanks to his displays with the bat in hand, and he aims to put the Aussies to the sword once again, just as he has done so many times in the past.
He helped steer his beloved Men in Blue to a memorable first-ever series victory on Australian soil five years ago before his team managed to successfully cling on to the aforementioned Border–-Gavaskar Trophy without their feared talisman the following year. For Australia, Steve Smith and Usman Khawaja are the form players with the bat, while captain and pace bowler Pat Cummins is expected to be pivotal to his country's hopes.
Perhaps the most memorable contest between the two sides in recent years came in 2021. With a four-match test series between them finely poised at 1-1, an injury-depleted India managed to end Australia's 32-year undefeated streak at the Gabba by chasing down a whopping 329 in one day to emerge victorious. Will a similar story be told this winter?
England Tour of New Zealand
While the World Test Championship is ongoing, the England team selectors and head coach Brendan McCullum have been focusing solely on next year's Ashes Series against Australia in the Land Down Under. The latest sports betting odds currently make Ben Stokes and Co. a rank 3.50 outsider for that particular clash, and after losing 13 of their last 15 games on Australian soil across the last decade, it's not hard to see why.
With their eyes firmly focused on the future, some controversial decisions have been made in recent months, none more so than forcing their greatest-ever bowler, Jimmy Anderson, into retirement. That could leave England at the mercy of New Zealand this winter, with the Land of the Long White Cloud being an unhappy hunting ground for the English in recent times.
The upcoming tour is set to take place throughout November and December, and like India in Australia, will consist of both Test matches and limited-overs games. The two nations have embarked upon some famous clashes in recent times, with England famously defeating New Zealand in the 2019 Cricket World Cup final at Lord's after a thrilling super over. Since then, however, the two nations have gone in opposite directions, with the Kiwis climbing to the summit of Test match cricket while England has languished toward the bottom of the rankings.
For England, Ben Stokes' leadership will be crucial. The English skipper was born in New Zealand and he regularly thrives in clashes against the Kiwis. It was he who steered his nation to that famous World Cup victory, and he will be aiming for another impressive display this winter. For New Zealand, meanwhile, their fearsome bowling attack led by Tim Southee and Trent Boult is a key weapon. Add to that the brilliance of batsman and captain Kane Williamson, and it's clear to see that the tourists could be in for a tough time of it.
Last February, New Zealand managed to beat England by one solitary run in a thrilling clash in Wellington. If supporters get to witness any similar contests this winter then they will certainly be in for a treat.
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