The Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) is unarguably a thrilling Test series after the Ashes. India and Australia battle it out in a captivating Test series to win the BGT.
The Test series is named after 2 legendary batters from Australia and India who scored heaps of runs in the format. The governing boards of both teams decided to name the series after Allan Border and Sunil Gavaskar.
India and Australia played against each other several times between 1947 and 1992. But it was only in 1996 that both teams started playing in the BGT.
Who organises BGT?
Cricket Australia (CA) and Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) started the BGT series in 1996. The BCCI is the richest cricket board in the world, while CA trails behind the Indian board.
The BCCI hosted the first edition, with a one-off Test in Delhi, which India won comfortably.
Since then, both boards have organised the series in their countries alternately every 2 years. Thus far, India has hosted BGT 9 times between 1996 and 2023, while Australia has done so 7 times.
Australia will be staging the series for the eighth time when India tours down under in November 2024.
Read Also:- Longest Six in Cricket History
Winners of BGT
India is the most successful team in BGT history. The Indian team has won the Test series 10 out of 16 times. India has won the last 4 editions convincingly, with 2 victories coming on Australian shores.
On the other hand, Australia has claimed the BGT 5 times in 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2015. The Australian team last won the series in 2015 at their home.
Read Also:- Border-Gavaskar Trophy (IND vs AUS) 2024-25
Who are the top performers in BGT?
Sachin Tendulkar is the leading run-scorer in BGT. The Master Blaster accumulated 3262 runs in 34 matches at an average of 56.24.
Virat Kohli, Steven Smith, and Cheteshwar Pujara are the modern-day greats, who have scored significant runs in the series.
Kohli and Smith were in stellar form in the 2014-15 BGT held in India. Smith scored a record 769 runs, while Kohli amassed 692 runs in 4 matches.
Among the bowlers, Nathan Lyon and Ravichandran Ashwin are in a close fight to claim the top spot. Lyon has picked up 116 wickets, while Ashwin has 114 scalps to his name.
Spinners from both sides have dominated in the series and it’s evident from Harbhajan Singh’s memorable performance in the 2001 BGT series. The Indian off-spinner bagged 32 wickets in 3 matches.
Read Also:- Best Finisher in Cricket World
BGT 2024 Schedule
India is set to tour Australia from November 2024 onwards. Both teams will engage in a 5-match series for the very first time in BGT’s history.
Perth will host the first Test on November 22, followed by the second match in Adelaide from December 6. The third match will take place in Brisbane from December 14, while the fourth will be played at the MCG from December 26. The last match starts on January 3 in Sydney.
BGT 2024-25 Squad
India Squad
Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (WK), R Ashwin, R Jadeja, Mohd. Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar.
Reserves: Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini, Khaleel Ahmed
Australia Squad for Test Series vs India
Pat Cummins (c), Steve Smith, Alex Carey, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan McSweeney, Mitchell Starc, Scott Boland
