It isn’t the Ashes, yes. It’s not India v Pakistan that comes with a storied legacy even beyond cricket. But there’s just something extra special and spicy about the Border-Gavaskar Trophy that you cannot ignore. Two teams that play brilliant cricket, give it as good as they get, and never back down, ever. The nip in the air on Australia vs India Test match days isn’t induced by weather; it’s the anticipation of watching two alphas face off.
India has got the upper hand walking into the series, having won the last 4 BGT series – twice in India, twice in Australia – and having won them making quite the statement. The breaching of Fortress Gabba is one that won’t be forgotten any time soon by both sets of fans. Rishab Pant’s daredevilry and an absolute disregard for reputation, legacy, history, will be studied by cricket enthusiasts on both ends of the world and this time, Australia will be wary of him.You can never write Virat Kohli off. You can never write Rohit Sharma off. Champion cricketers who have the ability to turn a game on its head by simply deciding so. Yashasvi Jaiswal will be an exciting prospect to watch, this BGT series. He is among those who doesn’t really pay heed to legacy because he is busy making his own. And in 2024, India will enter the series with a fully fit, at-his-prime Jasprit Bumrah. Mind games or not, Steve Smith has already acknowledged the challenge that the pacer will pose, calling him “arguably the best bowler across the three formats.”
But the Indian team would be remiss if they rest on their past laurels when they land in Perth, come November. Pat Cummins’ Australia is a beast that creeps up on you silently, but with authority. Australia’s Test team, especially, has all the boxes ticked and getting past them won’t be easy in the least. Led by Cummins, Hazlewood, Starc, Boland bring up the rest of the fiery pace crew that will bowl alongside one of Australia’s greatest spinners, Nathan Lyon. If we’re being honest, we are craving to hear some of those ‘Noice Garry’ shouts on the field. In Steve Smith and his apprentice Marnus Labuschagne, Australia have two of the best anchors/eccentric geniuses in Test cricket. And lest we forget, India’s thorn in the last year or so and the man single-handedly responsible for silencing a billion plus crowd in the CWC 2023 Final, Travis Head. It’s not just ODIs where he’s cut short India’s happiness because Rohit Sharma & Co. will remember his century at the WTC 2023 Final all too well.
It’s not for nothing that India vs Australia is considered the crowning jewel of all rivalries even though both teams have more intense competition with some of their other foes.
Player battles to watch out for:
Josh Hazlewood vs Virat Kohli
While Hazlewood has gone on record to state how he “finds it tough to bowl against Rohit Sharma”, it’s the classic battle with Virat that everyone will be cued in to witness. Pinpoint accuracy with his line and length that has the ability to startle mathematicians and a batter of Kohli’s calibre more often than what the Indian batter would have preferred. Virat’s scored just 167 runs vs Hazlewood and has fallen to him three times in Tests and a total of five times in ODIs.
Ravichandran Ashwin vs Steve Smith
Ravi Ashwin, the spinner to have dismissed Steve Smith most number of times in Tests and the first-ever bowler to dismiss him on a duck twice in Test cricket. Enough said.
If you still haven’t booked your tickets, you know what to do! Let the BGT countdown begin!
CANNOT KEEP CALM because the legendary Border-Gavaskar Trophy is less than a couple of months away.
Credit: Gurnam & Namrta
