The all-important Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) series between Australia and India will kick off at the Optus Stadium in Perth on November 22, and eyes will be on big names in both cricketing powerhouses. India won their last two Test series Down Under in 2018-19 and 2020-21 when they bagged the four-match series by identical 2-1 margins.

While the five-match series is generally considered to be a big platform for batters as they can have the opportunity to amass plenty of runs, it also gives the bowlers an equally big chance to do their figures a favor. In the five-match Australia-India Test series held Down Under, the most successful bowlers so far have been Craig McDermott and Bishan Singh Bedi, both of whom took 31 wickets each in the 1991-92 and 1977-78 series, respectively. Can those records be improved in this year’s blockbuster series?

In this article, we list five bowlers from either side who could end up among the top wicket-hunters in the series and may go all the way to eclipse the feat of McDermott and Bedi.

Nathan Lyon (Australia)

India were once the best players of the spin but that’s history now. We saw how the side capitulated against a not-so-great New Zealand spin attack in their own backyard and conceded a 0-3 defeat, something unprecedented. That makes Nathan Lyon an exceptional bowler to look up to in the upcoming series. There is every chance that Australia could produce slow tracks to nullify India’s challenges, and under such circumstances, the 36-year-old Lyon could be a real game-changer.

With 530 wickets under his belt in 129 outings, India is the opponent against which Lyon has claimed the maximum number of scalps – 121 in 27 matches – at an average of 31.56 with nine five-wicket and two 10-wicket hauls. He has a tally of 259 Test wickets in Australia of which 60 came against India (15 matches). Lyon has been Australia’s most successful/joint successful Test bowler either in India or Down Under in four consecutive series between 2012-13 and 2018-19 and also in 2022-23 and would play an instrumental role as the Kangaroos look to reclaim the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after a decade.

Mitchel Starc (Australia)

Australia’s left-handed spearhead might be turning older but is still a force that the visiting team would be cautious about. Even though he played in a Test match in March, the 34-year-old recently picked seven wickets in a Sheffield Shield match that included a six-fer in the second innings in Melbourne. If Starc gets his rhythm and pace together and uses his short balls to perfection, the India batters could have serious trouble.

We have seen how Starc charges himself up on big occasions, whether it is in international cricket or events like the Indian Premier League, and given the hunger he has to win the BGT for his country, it could be one such moment for him. He has been bowling well in the 2023-24 season as well, with 25 wickets in seven games so far. Starc has taken 48 wickets against India in 18 Tests at an average of 38.54 but has no 10 or five-wicket haul against the same opponents yet. In Australia, Starc has picked 217 wickets in 50 matches at an average of 26.28, and of them, 35 are against India in 11 games.

Jasprit Bumrah (India)

Jasprit Bumrah, who might captain India for a few games in the absence of Rohit Sharma since the latter will be busy with family duties, can never remain away from the centre. As always, India will be heavily depending on him if they are to do well in the series. He had an impressive first series in Australia in Tests in 2018-19 when he bagged 21 scalps to end up as the joint-highest wicket-taker with Australia’s Lyon. In the 2020-21 series, the pacer played a crucial role in India’s historic win with a tally of 11 wickets.

In seven Tests in two tours (he missed the last Test in the 2020-21 tour due to an abdominal injury he sustained in the third match in Sydney), Bumrah has an impressive collection of 32 wickets at an enviable average of 21.25 with one five-wicket haul. These are also his overall records in the red-ball format against the Aussies since Bumrah has yet to play Australia in a home series. The cricketing world will be eager to see the battle between Bumrah and Travis Head, who has proved himself to be India’s nemesis of late.

Josh Hazlewood (Australia)

Josh Hazlewood had an impressive debut in Tests against India in the 2014-15 series when he picked up a five-fer in the first innings and seven wickets in the match. Since then, the 33-year-old has consistently done well against India in Tests, especially at home. In three BGT series he has played so far, the right-arm quick has taken 42 wickets in 11 matches. Overall, he has 51 wickets against India in 15 outings at an average of just below 27 with four five-wicket hauls, three of which have come Down Under.

Hazlewood is an excellent line-and-length bowler in Tests and uses seam and cutter to good effect. He was the wrecker-in-chief when India were bundled out for 36 in the second innings in Adelaide in 2021 by picking five wickets for eight runs. Hazlewood is 27 scalps short of the 300 club in Tests and will be willing to accomplish it in this series.

Ravichandran Ashwin (India)

Ravichandran Ashwin is likely to play in his final Test series in Australia. The bowler with over 530 wickets is under immense pressure after a mediocre outing against New Zealand at home. Recently, former South Africa spinner Paul Adams said Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon is a more complete bowler than Ashwin because of his adaptability to diverse conditions. Given Lyon’s record both in Australia and the subcontinent, Adams might not be too wrong, but writing off Ashwin, a veteran of many wars, would be perilous.

Ashwin has taken 114 wickets against Australia in Tests in 22 matches (Lyon, as said, has 121 in 27 against India) at an average of 28.36, while in Australia, he has 39 from 10 games. In the last two outings Down Under, when India emerged victorious, Ashwin grabbed 18 wickets in just four matches. He missed the World Test Championship final against the Australians last year. There is a lot at stake for Ashwin in this series, and his duel with Lyon to win the ‘Best Offspinner’ crown would fuel him to give the best shot.