Top 5 most memorable Border-Gavaskar Trophy matches

India won the first Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 1996.

India and Australia locked horns in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) for the first time in 1996 in Delhi. Since then, these two teams have come up against each other regularly. with India dominating the BGT rivarly.

Over the years, both teams have witnessed ups and downs in their cricketing journey but what has made both countries a cricketing powerhouse is their ability to bounce back from these challenges.

The ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2023 final added a new chapter to this rivalry with the Aussies edging out India to win the title.

Although Australia still lead India in the all-time head-to-head record in test cricket, the Asian giants have the edge in BGT matches. The battle between the two cricketing powerhouses has produced several memorable matches that have gone down in the history books.

On that note, let’s look at the five most memorable matches in the history of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Top five most memorable Border-Gavaskar Trophy matches:

5. Mumbai, 2004

The 2004 Mumbai test was a low-scoring thriller that underlined India’s brilliance on a spin-friendly track. Defending a small target of 107, India’s spinners, Harbhajan Singh and Murali Karthik dismantled the Aussie lineup, bowling them out for 93 runs.

Murali Karthik was named Player of the Match for his seven wickets in the game. This was India’s only victory in the 2004 series, which they lost 2-1.

4. Mohali, 2010

The 2010 Mohali test is remembered as one of the closest battles between the two sides in the test arena. Chasing 216, India were struggling at at 124/8 before Ishant Sharma and VVS Laxman combined for a 81-run partnership.

Pragyan Ojha joined Laxman at the crease as the last batsman with India still 11 runs away from victory. Battling through his injury, Laxman scored an unbeaten 73 runs to steer India to a dramatic one-wicket win.

3. Adelaide, 2014

The 2014 Adelaide test is one of the biggest heartbreaks for India on foreign soil. Chasing 364 in the fourth innings, India were heading towards a historica win with the scorecard reading 242/2 at one stage.

Virat Kohli was India’s hero scoring twin centuries (115 & 141) in the game. The Indian run chase, though, suffered a dramatic collapse after Murali Vijay’s (99) dismissal, as they got bundled for 315, losing by a small margin. Nathan Lyon was named Player of the Match for his seven wickets in the second innings.

2. Kolkata, 2001

The Kolkata test of 2001 is famous in Indian cricket folklore for the spirited comeback by the Asian giants. Trailing 0-1 in the series, India were forced to bat again as Australia enforced the follow on after bowling India out for 171 in the first innings.

What followed was perhaps the most remarkable turnaround in test cricket, made by a 376-run partnership between VVS Laxman (281) and Rahul Dravid (180). Harbhajan Singh sealed the game for India on the last day of the match, restricting Australia to 212 runs in their second innings to complete a 171-run win.

1. Brisbane, 2021

India’s triumph at the Gabba in Brisbane in 2021 stands as one of the greatest victories in the country’s test history. Known as Australia’s fortress, the Aussies were undefeated in Brisbane for 32 years. India came into the decider, battered with injuries with key players like Ashwin, Jadeja, Shami, and Bumrah out of the side and Kohli unavailable.

However, India rewrote history in spectacular fashion, chasing down the big total of 328 on the final day. Rishabh Pant’s unbeaten 89 guided India to a thrilling victory, sealing a historic series win and ending Australia’s streak at the venue.

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