Hayden's unexpected twist for Border-Gavaskar Trophy brings mixed emotions for Pat Cummins and joy for Rohit Sharma

The rivalry between India and Australia is one of the most intense in all of sports, keeping fans on the edge of their seats. The upcoming five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy is highly anticipated as India has had the upper hand over Australia in Test matches. The Indian team has proven their dominance over Australia in the last few series, particularly on Australian soil. All eyes will be on Rohit Sharma and his team as they aim to secure their third consecutive series win over Australia in their own backyard. The fierce competition and skill on display make this showdown a must-watch for cricket fans around the world.

The blockbuster series is set to get underway in Perth on November 22, and the five-match series holds the key for both the teams, in terms of qualification for the World Test Championship (WTC) final.

The predictions are coming in thick and fast, and several cricket pundits, are picking their sides.

Former Australia opening batter Matthew Hayden has now weighed in, predicting that it would be Pat Cummins and co, who would eventually win the series. However, he did say that Rohit Sharma's team would not go down without fighting.

Speaking to Star Sports, Hayden said, "I say Australia is going to win but I'll also say this: Watch Team India go!"

Speaking to the broadcaster, Matthew Hayden also opined that Australia no longer enjoy a home advantage because of the drop-in pitches. It is important to mention that of the five venues for the upcoming BGT, three will have drop-in pitches.

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

The first Test between India and Australia will be played in Perth while Adelaide will host the day-night second Test from December 6. The third Test will go ahead in Brisbane while the Boxing Day Test and New Year's Test will be played at Melbourne and Sydney, respectively.

"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 said.

"I feel like at the moment there is probably not that much home advantage in the Australian summer anymore due to the wicket conditions," he added.

Before the start of the marquee series, India will play a three-day warm-up match against India A in Perth. The India A squad is currently in Australia for their series.

Rohit Sharma and co have already named the squad for the upcoming Test series against Australia. Kuldeep Yadav has not been named in the squad for the five-match series since he has been referred to the BCCI Centre of Excellence for long term resolution of his left groin issue.

India squad: Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (WK), R Ashwin, R Jadeja, Mohd. Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar.

Reserves: Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini, Khaleel Ahmed