Bilateral series hold quite a lot of significance in cricket, perhaps more than any other sport. You can feel the intensity when, say, England take on Australia in the Ashes series.
And now there’s one more bilateral Test series that’s catching up to the level of the Ashes. Which series, you ask?
It’s the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) contest between India and Australia. The series got off the ground in the late 1990s and has garnered a lot of interest from fans and experts alike in the past few years.
In this piece, we’ll glance at the history of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, who it is named after, and the most successful team in the series.
But before that, let’s see the pre-BGT history between India and Australia.
Pre-Border-Gavaskar Trophy Era
India’s cricketing relations with Australia date back to pre-independence days. India hosted an Australian team for four unofficial Tests between December 1935 and February 1936.
Although it wasn’t the official Australian team since the Maharaja of Patiala had sponsored the tour, which also included 13 first-class matches — 12 in India and one in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka).
Players like CK Nayudu, Lala Amarnath, Mohammad Nissar, and Syed Mushtaq Ali represented India in the unofficial Test series against the Australians. The four-match series ended in a draw as both teams won two matches each.
Ten years later, the Australian Services cricket team, primarily made up of military personnel, toured India for three unofficial Tests. Notable players like Amarnath, Vijay Merchant, Vinoo Mankad, and Vijay Hazare turned up for India, winning the series 1-0.
Two years later, the day came when India and Australia faced each other for the first time in official Test matches. India gained independence in August 1947, and three months later, an Indian team toured Australia for a five-match Test series.
India were pretty new to the format, with only 10 Tests under the belt. And they were playing Down Under for the first time, with the Aussies exploiting the inexperience to win the series 4-0.
The second series between the two sides took place after a gap of nine years, which was Australia’s first in India. The visitors got better off the hosts, winning the three-match series by 2-0.
Since then, India and Australia engaged in 10 more bilaterals between 1959 and 1992. Between 1947 and 1992, Australia emerged victorious in seven series, while four ended in draws, and India won only one in 1979.
India’s 1992 tour Down Under was the last series between the two teams after the Border-Gavaskar Trophy took shape in the late 90s.
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The Start of Border-Gavaskar Trophy
After the 1992 series, India and Australia were up against each other in a one-off Test in 1996, which marked the beginning of the BGT. The governing boards of both teams came together and instituted the BGT in India.
The stage was set at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium in Delhi. Sachin Tendulkar led the Indian squad, while Mark Taylor was the captain of the visitors.
Australia won the toss and chose to bat first. The decision, however, didn’t go well for the Aussies, as India wrapped up their innings for 182 runs.
Nayan Mongia starred for India in reply, scoring a well-made 152 in 366 balls, helping India post 361 on the board, resulting in a healthy lead of 179 runs.
In their second essay, the visitors mustered 234 runs and set a target of 56 runs. It was a short chase for India, winning the match in 13.2 overs with seven wickets to spare.
And India got their hands on the maiden BGT title, starting their glorious run in the history of the series.
But how did the series derive its name?
The series derives its name after two of the most prolific batters Test cricket history has seen. They represented their respective countries and scored a mountain of runs in red-ball cricket.
So it was fitting to name the trophy after them. Who are the two cricketers then?
One is Australia’s Allan Border, while the other is India’s Sunil Gavaskar.
Border accumulated 11,174 runs in 156 Tests at an average of 50.56, which also included 27 centuries and 63 fifties. Border was the first batter to cross the 11,000-run milestone in the format. He also captained Australia across formats, guiding them to their first ODI World Cup win in 1987.
Gavaskar, on the other hand, was the first to climb the mountain of 10,000 Test runs. The little master accumulated 10,122 runs in 125 matches at an average of 51.12, including 34 hundreds and 45 fifties.
Border-Gavaskar Trophy Over the Years
After the inaugural series back in 1996, both teams have been playing against each other every two years either in Australia or India.
The Australians returned in March 1998, this time for a three-match series, which India won by 2-1. In the summer of 1999-2000, India toured Australia for the first BGT Down Under, which the home side claimed by 3-0. This was Australia’s first BGT series win.
The first decade of the 21st century saw an even battle between both teams, with India and Australia exchanging the trophy. The number of matches also saw an increase with teams contesting over four-match series.
Australia had one of their biggest moments in 2004 when they clinched the BGT in India and defeated India in a Test series in India after 35 years.
The start of the second decade saw a tug-of-war between the two sides, with Australia handing India a whitewash in 2011/12, while India clean-swept the series in 2013.
But the 2014/15 BGT saw the rise of India and invincible dominance from the Indian men at home and in Australia. From 2017 to 2023, India thrashed Australia in four consecutive BGT series. Two of those victories came in Australia, with the Men in Blue winning their first-ever Test series Down Under in 2018/19.
Which is the most successful team in BGT history?
Between 1996 and 2023, India and Australia contested 16 BGT series, with India emerging winners in 10 of them, while they retained the trophy 11 times. Australia have won the BGT series five times.
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