It will be an even contest when India take on Australia in the Border

It will be an even contest when India take on Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Test series later this year, according to Matthew Hayden.

Australia great Matthew Hayden expects runs to be a premium when his former side clashes with fellow powerhouse India in the five-Test battle for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at the end of the year.

It will be the first time in more than 30 years that the two teams will feature across five matches and the series follows an unusual path of commencing in the traditional seamer-friendly conditions in Perth, before moving to Adelaide for the crucial pink-ball Test under lights and finishing in more familiar surroundings of Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.

With Australia’s seam attack featuring skipper Pat Cummins and regulars Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, Hayden thinks runs will be difficult to come by for both teams Down Under during the crucial ICC World Test Championship series.

“You look at the line-ups, and it’s hard to really tell who’s got the edge,” Hayden told reporters at the CEAT Cricket Rating Awards.

“I sense that it’s going to be runs that are going to be the point of difference. So the best need to stand up in this series; runs are going to be at a premium. And I also feel like the structure of the tournament being from the west to the east is a bit of the unique way that the Australian landscape of cricket is going to be played out. It’s usually the other way around. It’s going to be a great summer.”