Lyon, Hazlewood warn India of tough contest

Australia's veteran spinner Nathan Lyon and fast bowler Josh Hazlewood are setting their sights on reclaiming the Border-Gavaskar Trophy from India in their home series starting this November.

Lyon is focused on the upcoming series, emphasizing Australia's determination to overturn recent defeats. The World Test Champions have struggled against India at home, losing two consecutive series.

The first series loss came in early 2019, when Australia was missing key players Steve Smith and David Warner due to ball-tampering bans. The second defeat was even more dramatic, as India came back from a 36 all-out in Adelaide to win the series 2-1 in Brisbane, Australia's fortress.

"It's been 10 years of unfinished business, it's been a long time, and I know we're extremely hungry to turn things around especially here at home," Lyon said.

"Don't get me wrong, India is an absolute superstar side and extremely challenging but I'm extremely hungry to turn things around and make sure we get that trophy back." he further added.

Hazlewood, who also experienced both series losses, shares Lyon's sentiments.

"There are quite a few players who have never beaten India in a Test series. It's quite astounding to say that. That's one we need to tick off, definitely, in particular at home - we should pretty much win every series here at home," he said. In the last series in Australia, India, despite being ravaged by injuries, managed to secure the trophy with debutants filling key roles.

Hazlewood reflected on the challenges faced, acknowledging India's depth.

"That last series we obviously bowled them out for 36 in Adelaide and we thought here we go, [we are] back at home [and] confident on these grounds.

People say we played India B in that last Test, but they can sometimes be stronger than the best team. They've got unbelievable depth in all formats and we are starting to see that now," Hazlewood said.

Lyon, however, believes Australia is now better prepared.

"Feel like we are a different team to a couple of years ago, we are on a journey of becoming a great Australian cricket team. We're definitely not there but we are along that journey and have been playing some decent cricket," he said.

The series will also see the emergence of India's young talent, with opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, who made headlines with his impressive performances against England, expected to pose a significant challenge.

The veteran spinner has taken note of Jaiswal's form and is preparing accordingly.

"I haven't come across him [Jaiswal] yet, but that will be a massive challenge for all us bowlers. The way he played against England, I watched that quite closely and thought that was quite amazing. I had some really good chats with [England spinner] Tom Hartley about different ways he went about it to different guys which I found quite interesting," Lyon said.

"I love talking about cricket, so if I can talk to someone who has played Test cricket I might be able to pick up something I'm not aware of. There's so much knowledge floating around this game that we can always tap into," he added.

Aside from the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Hazlewood is also focused on Australia's World Test Championship (WTC) campaign. With Australia currently sitting second in the WTC table, behind India, Hazlewood is eager to secure a place in the final after missing the last one.

"It's always in the background, we have the table up [to see] where we are sitting and what we need to tick off," Hazlewood said.

"For me, it's a big one because I didn't get to play the last one in England so that's a burning one for me," he concluded. The Border-Gavaskar Trophy series begins on November 22 in Perth, marking a crucial test for both teams and setting the stage for what promises to be an exciting contest.