India and Australia share a fierce rivalry in cricket, especially in the Test format. And the rivalry has got more hype thanks to the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT).
Fans from both countries eagerly wait for the famous bilateral Test series as India and Australia battle it out to lay their hands on the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Here, we’ll glance at the team that has won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy the most times,
Border-Gavaskar Trophy Winners
| Season | Winner | Margin | Host |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996/97 | India | 1-0 (1) | India |
| 1997/98 | India | 2-1 (3) | India |
| 1999/00 | Australia | 3-0 (3) | Australia |
| 2000/01 | India | 2-1 (3) | India |
| 2003/04 | Draw | 1-1 (4) | Australia |
| 2004/05 | Australia | 2-1 (4) | India |
| 2007/08 | Australia | 2-1 (4) | Australia |
| 2008/09 | India | 2-0 (4) | India |
| 2010/11 | India | 2-0 (2) | India |
| 2011/12 | Australia | 4-0 (4) | Australia |
| 2012/13 | India | 4-0 (4) | India |
| 2014/15 | Australia | 2-0 (4) | Australia |
| 2016/17 | India | 2-1 (4) | India |
| 2018/19 | India | 2-1 (4) | Australia |
| 2020/21 | India | 2-1 (4) | Australia |
| 2022/23 | India | 2-1 (4) | India |
1996/97 | India
The inaugural edition of the BGT took place in October 1996 at Delhi’s Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium.
In the one-off Test series, India’s spinners dominated the proceedings, led by Anil Kumble, who took 9 wickets in the match. In the batting department, Nayan Mongia’s 152 put India in the driving seat, helping them clinch the inaugural Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
1997/98 | India
India were at it again 1 and a half years later, winning the 3-match series by a 2-1 margin at home. The hosts won the first 2 Tests comfortably but faced resistance from the Aussies in the last match, losing it by 8 wickets.
Anil Kumble led the charge with the ball for India, taking 23 wickets, while Sachin Tendulkar scored 446 runs.
1999/00 | Australia
The BGT moved to Australia for the first time in the 1999/2000 season. And the hosts proved to be too good of a challenge for India, as they clean-swept the 3-match series by a 3-0 margin.
Australia defeated India with huge margins in all 3 matches without giving them an inch to make a comeback. Glenn McGrath (18 wickets) and Ricky Ponting (375 runs) emerged as the top wicket-takers and run-scorers in the series.
2000/01 | India
India’s third BGT victory came in the 2001 home series, which is famous for India’s resounding comeback.
India were trailing the 3-match series by 0-1 going into the second match. But heroic performances from VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid, along with India’s spinners, scripted a famous comeback win at the Eden Gardens.
The third match in Chennai turned out to be a nail-biter, which India won by 2 wickets to reclaim the BGT. Harbhajan Singh (32 wickets) and Laxman (505 runs) were the heroes for India.
Also Read | The 10 Greatest Indian Spinners of All Time
2003/04 | Draw
India toured down under in 2003-04 and learnt from their past tour to give Australia a run for their money.
The 4-match series started with a drawn Test in Brisbane. India won the second match in Adelaide, but Australia made a quick comeback in the third Test to level the series 1-1.
India had a real chance of winning the BGT in Australia as they hammered 705 in the first innings of the fourth match. But Australia managed to pull off a draw, keeping the series drawn at 1-1, though India retained the trophy.
2004/05 | Australia
India couldn’t redeem the golden chance in Australia, but Australia did so on Indian soil in 2004. The Aussies won the 4-match series by a 2-1 margin, and this is their only BGT win in India.
Australia won the first and third matches, while India secured a consolation win in the fourth match, with the third Test ending in a draw. Jason Gillespie (20 wickets) and Damien Martyn (444 runs) were Australia’s chief architects in the series.
2007/08 | Australia
Australia emulated the 2004 result in the 2007-08 BGT series at home. They won the first 2 matches, while India won the third match, and the last match ended in a draw.
Andrew Symonds and Matthew Hayden (410 runs each) and Brett Lee (24 wickets) shone for the hosts in the series.
2008/09 | India
India reclaimed the coveted BGT after 4 years on home soil, defeating the visitors by 2-0. The first and third matches were draws, while India won the second and fourth matches.
Gautam Gambhir led the charge with the bat for India, scoring 463 runs. Harbhajan Singh and Ishant Sharma emerged as joint wicket-takers, with 15 scalps each.
2010/11 | India
India retained the trophy by handing a whitewash to the Aussies in the 2-match series at home. The series witnessed a thrilling outcome in the first match, which the Men in Blue won by a wicket to spare in Mohali. It was followed by a 7-wicket win in Bengaluru.
Sachin Tendulkar blasted a whopping 403 runs in 4 innings, and Zaheer Khan took 12 wickets, helping India clinch the series.
2011/12 | Australia
Australia’s fourth BGT victory came in a dominating manner in their own backyard in 2011-12. The Kangaroos convincingly beat India to take the series home by a 4-0 margin.
Michael Clarke blew away India’s bowling attack, amassing 626 runs, while Ben Hilfenhaus strangled India’s batting lineup, taking 27 wickets.
2012/13 | India
India gave Australia a taste of their own medicine, clean-sweeping the 2013 BGT series at home by 4-0. The series saw a dominating performance from India’s batters and bowlers on turning tracks.
Ravichandran Ashwin spun his web around the Australian batter with 29 wickets. Murali Vijay emerged as the leading run scorer, accumulating 430 runs.
2014/15 | Australia
The 2014-15 BGT series saw the rise of Virat Kohli and Steven Smith as batters and captains. In a fiercely contested series down under, Australia claimed the series by a 2-0 margin, with 2 games ending in draws.
Smith top scored with 769 runs in 8 outings, while Nathan Lyon topped the wicket chart with 23 wickets for Australia.
Also Read | The 5 Greatest Australian Spinners of All Time
2016/17 | India
The 2017 series marked the beginning of Team India’s dream run in the BGT. After winning the 2017 BGT by a 2-1 margin, India went on to win the next 3 iterations with the same margin.
India had a shocking start to the series, losing the first match by a huge margin of 333 runs in Pune. They were on the verge of losing the second match as well, but KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Cheteshwar Pujara, and Ravichandran Ashwin turned the match in India’s favour.
The third Test ended in a draw, but the Indian team won the last match, taking a lead of 2-1 to claim the trophy.
2018/19 | India
The Men in Blue came close to winning a Test series in Australia on a few occasions in the past. But they fulfilled the dream in the 2018/19 BGT down under.
India won the first and third matches, while Australia won the second match, and the fourth Test ended in a draw. India clinched the series by a 2-1 margin, marking their first Test series victory down under.
Jasprit Bumrah (21 wickets) and Cheteshwar Pujara (521 runs) were the x-factors for India against the Aussies.
2020/21 | India
Played under the tough scenarios of Covid breakout across the world, the 2020-21 BGT turned out to be a rollercoaster ride for India.
The Indian men put on a shambolic performance with the bat, getting all out on 36 after being in control of the Adelaide Test for most of the time. India lost the match and were without the services of skipper Virat Kohli for the rest of the series.
Stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane led from the front in the Boxing Day Test, levelling the series 1-1. The third Test ended in a draw, but in the meantime, India lost a few of their experienced players due to injuries, leaving them with inexperienced players to play in the decider.
Despite the odds against them, India held their nerves and breached the fortress Gabba to win the second BGT in Australia on the trot.
2022/23 | India
India retained the BGT for the fourth time in a row by beating Australia 2-1 at home in 2023. India opened the series with 2 Test wins before losing the third and drawing the fourth Test.
This marked India’s 10th BGT series victory since its inception in 1996. Ravichandran Ashwin yet again bamboozled the Aussies with his spin, taking 25 wickets.
Which team has won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy the most times?
India has won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy the most times, winning the series 15 times. Australia, on the other hand, has lifted the trophy 5 times. Of the 16 editions, only the 2003/04 iteration held in Australia ended in a 1-1 draw.
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