“Blood will not be spilled, sacrifices will not be heard” – yet some sequences will be played with war-like concentration and a desire to win. Like the Ashes, so is the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. We are going to reminisce the significant events that have happened in this series over the past years. While winning on home soil is a sentimental affair, conquering foreign soil is the real, emotional victory. In this way, this is a review of the great tracks that Australia and India have laid mutually.
The moment Australia beat India:
In the late 90s and early 2000s, Australia emerged as world champions and a threat to anyone anywhere, anytime. However, only one thorn in Australia’s throat popped up. Border Gavaskar won the trophy in India, if not more.
That they could not do it for 35 years showed not only the extreme strength of India but also the weakness of Australia. So Australia set foot in India in October 2004, desperate to win anyway. They are not unaware that it is not so easy.
On the one hand, if the Indian batting personality like Sachin, Dravid, Ganguly and Lakshmanan are intimidating, the bowling force which includes Zakir and Pathan is not easy to face. Especially the Kumble-Harbhajan magic circle is challenging to escape from. On top of this, understanding the Indian field environment and playing accordingly is a trek. But Australia overcame all these challenges and succeeded.
Australian batting team has made checkmate for Indian bowling to keep Gillispie, McGrath, Warne check for Indian batsmen.
Justin Langer, Simon Cadich and the occasional Coloch Damien Martin and Test debutant Michael Clarke were the lions throughout the series. Damien had scored 444 runs and Clarke had scored 400 runs in this series. Sehwag had scored the maximum runs (299) in the Indian side. No one else danced as if to dictate.
Not just Australia’s pace but Warne’s spin in the second innings. Australia’s handling of the Indian bowling was also commendable. The Kumble-Harbhajan partnership combined for 48 wickets, but the pacers were unable to make the same impact.
A 217-run win in the first match in Bangalore gave Australia a psychological boost. India deepened the hole for the third match to be played on a green top pitch. Australia won by a huge margin of 342 runs. In both these matches, especially in the Nagpur Test, the performance of the Indian batsmen was below average. Gillispie and McGrath were wicket hunters in bunches. No major struggle emerged from India. India had already crossed the line by going close to winning the second Test. Rain disrupted play on the fifth day, with 209 to win. So Australia was leading 1-0. Thus winning the third match and winning the series. Australia went on to win the series 2-1 despite a consolation win for India in the fourth match.
After this, it has become difficult for Australia to win not only the series but also the matches here in these 19 years. Australia have won only one of the 14 Tests played in India since then. This shows how big the 2004 victory was.
It was this victory, which had been an unfulfilled dream for 35 years, that Steve Walk called their Final Frontier. It was this tour that completed Australia’s streak of glory.
The Moment India beat Australia:
Border Gavaskar series has mostly been the practice of India winning the series in India and Australia winning the series in Australia. If Australia has changed it once, India has also changed it three times. The 2003/04 series drew India’s comeback and the Kohli era has tasted unprecedented success in 2018/19. India started successfully by holding the first match in Adelaide. Australia retaliated in Perth to the extent that even Kohli’s century was not handed. India fought back in Melbourne to level the series at 1-1. It was India’s 150th win in the Test arena, which came against Australia and still holds pride of place.
Australia struggled in the fourth match but it ended in a draw. Pujara scored 521 runs and scored 3 centuries in this series. So India won the series 2-1. However, it was the 2020/21 series that made the entire cricket community look back.
Continuity brings together unforgettable pain and extreme joy. Not only in the history of the Border Gavaskar series but also in the history of Tests, it was in this series that incredible disasters happened. Kohli-led Indian side lost the first Test which was played as a day-night game. Atholvi was the same as when there was no sign of a storm. India, who were in control for most of the match, stumbled unexpectedly, that too with a humiliating score of 36. With the tournament, Kohli also returned to India, so the team is many times weaker. But the difficult moment strengthened the cohesion within the team.
In the second match, the team led by Ragane rose up after shedding the Ashes. The desire to win was on fire from the very first ball that was bowled. While Rakhine’s century was sustained, it was the inspiration of Bumrah, Siraj and Ashwin in the bowling that transformed into a surge for the team. tying the series at 1-1. The third match brought out the determination of the Indian players, Jadeja who played with a thumb injury, Bund who saw an elbow injury, Ashwin who stood in pain and the zeal of Hanuma, all of them on the field resulted in a draw.
It was the events from this point that made the series the talk of the ages.
One by one senior players had to drop out due to injuries. In the absence of Bumrah and Umesh, Siraj, who made his Test debut in the series, is the captain of the bowling line-up. Natarajan, Saini, Sundar are the players sitting on the bench who should support him. Even if India suffered a defeat in such an environment, it would not have been seen as a big mistake. However, the young Indian did not leave the team like that. Instead of old roots, these young tendrils held up the team.
Although Pant was chosen as the man of the match, everyone is the hero in this match. It is a hot moment where the little ones stand parallel to the sumo wrestlers and fight and win. It was a victory to be celebrated on a par with the World Cup.
For both the Australian and Indian sides, these series are very important for both the sides.
After 2016, India never let the trophy change hands. In the last two seasons, it has gone into the lion’s den, sat on the throne, and played with it. Australia has been reeling since 2004, unable to achieve such glory.
Will Australia, who are top of the Test Championship table in the upcoming series, avenge past seasons and regain their 2004 glory or bow out as their recent performance against India? Tell me in the comments.