The Indian Cricket Fan’s Romance With the Border-Gavaskar Trophy

Some contests are of the heart, like the Indo-Pak battles; some contests are of the mind, like the Ashes; the most memorable ones though, are of grit and that is what the fans get with the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Ever since the first series was fought in 1996-97, there has been no paucity of heartbreaking drama or gut-wrenching action. Records have tumbled, egos have been crushed and epic tales of glory have been painted all on the beautiful canvas of this trophy that has seen many legends come and go. If India have thwarted Australia twice in their endeavour to win 17 successive Tests, Australia have given it back with a 4-0 whipping last summer.

It was a rivalry that made a mockery of the Ashes for a while, atleast for the greater part of 21st century’s first decade. India, as most cricket fans – especially Aussie haters – would remember, was the only team to give Steve Waugh’s Invincibles a run for their money. That day in Kolkata, when Dravid and Laxman thwarted one of the best bowling attacks of all time, keeping them at bay all day is one of the most sparkling accomplishments in Indian sports history. Not only did India perform a miracle by coming back from one Test down to win the series, it also registered the rarest of cricketing wins after following on. That stopped the Aussie bulldozer that had roared its way to 16 successive wins until then.

In fact, until South Africa shook up the grand legacies of cricketing heritage with a series win Down Under, India’s colossal accomplishment of a 1-1 series draw in 2003-04 was amongst the most impressive returns on Aussie soil in modern day cricket. That series scripted a turning point in India’s overseas showing, with Dravid’s cap-waving run across the pitch in Adelaide dominating the best collages of India’s memorable wins. If not for Ganguly’s over-cautious approach, which meant that India couldn’t quite make it to the finishing line cleaning up the Aussie tail, India might have beaten South Africa to poetic cricketing glory. India returned in 2007-2008 for another spirited performance only to be plundered of their credit by an afternoon of nightmarish umpiring. Mired in controversy, the 2007-08 series nevertheless produced some stellar performances and high quality cricket.

What makes these matches so incredible is the grit on display and the results that surface. Unlikely heroes came to the forefront every time the series needed a facelift. If Sachin made the 97-98 series his own, it was Dravid who framed India’s glory on a titanium wall in 2003. India discovered unlikely stars in Harbhajan Singh and Ishant Sharma during the series, both home and away. And right when the odds favoured India, the Aussies showed why the final frontier was never beyond them in the 2004-2005 series. Australia has under-performed in the last two series in India, failing to notch up a win. But they sounded a deafening gong with their ballistic 4-0 whitewash, which means that the tally stands at 12 – 14 in Australia’s favour. India has won 5 series, all in India, while Australia has won 4, including 1 in India. The 2003-04 series was drawn.

Another flashing aspect of the trophy is the stack of individual performances building up over the years. Some called Laxman’s epic 281 in the 2000-01 series one of the greatest innings of all time. Clarke’s triple century in the last series Down Under, Harbhajan’s hat-trick, the first by an Indian bowler in Tests, Sachin and Dravid’s doubles, and Warner’s fastest century by an opener are all part of the cricketing folklore.

True, India-Pakistan or England-Australia contests evoke a lot more emotion, while South Africa brings in its own flavours in terms of strategizing to the point of immaculate perfection. But the India-Australia contests, for over 10 years, have stood for rediscovering cricket’s purest ethos, of finding champions and pinnacles of excellence at the stroke of disaster, moments of magic conjured at a point where they were least expected. And true to that description, no series in the trophy’s history has ended with a scoreline that was expected at its start. Let’s hope it continues to surprise us pleasantly, as two teams with bruised egos stage a battle where players on each side will claw with their fingernails for every inch of cricketing glory at stake.