India and Australia are set to lock horns in the five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, with the first Test scheduled at Perth on Friday. The Test series holds tremendous importance for both teams as they look to confirm their place for the World Test Championship (2023-2025) final. Rohit Sharma-led India are heading down under having recently suffered a humiliating whitewash 0-3 against New Zealand. The upcoming edition of Border-Gavaskar Trophy is being seen as the last Australian tour for the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. Under such circumstances, how will the series pan up?, will we see the birth of new stars?, will the old stars create a new legacy or fade into oblivion?, fans are excited.
The Border-Gavaskar Trophy is historically known to see tempers flaring while players give their everything for recognition and redemption. Among memorable events, fans vividly remember the exemplary partnership between Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman to pave the way for India’s win after being asked to follow on at the historic Kolkata Test in 2001. The Monkey Gate controversy involving Andrew Symonds and Harbhajan Singh that spiced up the series in 2007-08, is also etched in the memories of cricket fans. The Virat Kohli Test captaincy era saw several duels and edge-of-seat moments. The 2020-21 edition of the series witnessed India’s humilating loss at Adelaide with the visitors getting bowled out for merely 36 in their second innings. However, India redeemed themselves in the remaining three Tests- clinching victory at Melbourne, securing draw at Sydney and then breaching the Brisbane fortress to humble the hosts 2-1 in the series.
Fans expect similar fireworks and top moments on the cricket pitch in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. With excitement shooting up amid high expectations, mind games and loose cannons from legendary stars, let’s take a look at the records which are at stake in the upcoming series.
Most Wickets Taken (Nathan Lyon vs R Ashwin)
Australian spinner Nathan Lyon and India bowler R Ashwin hold the first and second spots respectively in the list of highest wicket-takers since the inception of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. In 26 matches, Lyon has taken 116 wickets while Ashwin has 114 wickets to his name in just 22 matches. The upcoming series will see a hot individual contest between both spinners as they try to race ahead to be the most successful bowler in the history of the bilateral series.
Most Hundreds (Steven Smith vs Virat Kohli)
Having slammed nine tons, Sachin Tendulkar currently holds the record of most hundreds in the history of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The master blaster is closely followed by Steven Smith, Virat Kohli and Ricky Ponting who have hit eight centuries each in the bilateral series. With Ponting retired, Smith and Kohli are the real contenders to break Tendulkar’s record. Currently both batters are struggling to regain their mojo. Smith has not scored a Test century since June 2023 while Kohli last hit a Test ton in July 2023. Given their current predicament, it will be interesting to see how the superstars reclaim their invincibility even as they are nearing the fag end of their careers.
Most Sixes Hit
Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar has hit most sixes (25) in the history of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Among active players, reigning India captain Rohit Sharma has a real chance to break Tendulkar’s record in the upcoming series. Thus far, Rohit has slammed 15 sixes and holds the fourth spot in the list behind legends Matthew Hayden (24) and MS Dhoni (16). Where will Hitman rise to in the list at the end of the series?
Most Test Runs In Australia
With 1809 Test runs in Australia, legendary batter Sachin Tendulkar occupies the top position among Indian players in the list of most runs scored. Former India captain Virat Kohli is at the second spot, with 1352 runs in 13 matches at an average of 54.08. Kohli needs to score 458 runs in the upcoming five-match series to claim the top spot and break Tendulkar’s record.
Hat-trick Of Series Wins
The Indian cricket team have won the last four editions of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Two of the series wins came at home (in India) while two series victories were claimed on Australian soil. India won the four-match series 2-1 in 2018-19. Again in 2020-21, the Indian team emerged victorious by a margin of 2-1 in the four Test series. Under the leadership of Rohit Sharma, India will be eyeing to win the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the third consecutive time in Australia, thus ensuring a hat-trick of series wins down under.
