Border-Gavaskar Trophy History: When Was BGT Started, Story Behind Name, And All Results

The much anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 is just a few days away. Two cricket powerhouses, India and Australia, are set to clash in five Tests over a month and a half in five Australian cities. (More Cricket News)

The series begins November 22 and it promises to be a thrilling one with a lot at stake. The India-Australia Test rivalry is among the biggest in the world and some former players are also equating it to the Ashes. Both teams are among the best in the world and do not go down without a fight.

India are looking for a hat-trick of Test series victories in Australia, after having never won Down Under in their cricketing history before 2018-19. Australia, on the other hand, are trying to get their first series win against India since 2014-15. Apart from the bilateral rivalry, a ticket to the final of the World Test Championship is also on the line. Australia and India are currently the top two in the standings and thus the winner of this series will almost seal their qualification to the final. The loser, on the other hand, will have a tough time getting into the final.

Border-Gavaskar Trophy History

The history of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy dates back to 1996-97 but the cricketing rivalry between India and Australia goes back to the colonial era.

Teams from Australia used to visit India even before its independence from the British rule. The first official tour by the Indian team to Australia took off just months after the independence. India toured Australia for the first time in October 1947. India lost the five-Test series 4-0 and that marked the beginning of the feud.

The two teams played 12 Test series against each other before the Border-Gavaskar Trophy was constituted in 1996. The series was named after the two batting legends, India's Sunil Gavaskar and Australia's Allan Border. At that time, Gavaskar and Border were the only two cricketers to have scored more than 10,000 Test runs. So, the India vs Australia bilateral Test series were named in honour of the two batting maestros. The duo is still regarded among the best Test batters of all time.

The first Border-Gavaskar series was played as a one-off Test match in Delhi where India easily defeated Australia by seven wickets. Nayan Mongia, India's wicket-keeper batter, opened the innings and scored a magnificent 152 in the first innings to lay the foundation of India's win.

Including that one-off Test in Delhi, the two teams have played 16 such series. India have won 10 of them, including the last four, and Australia have come out on top just five times. One series ended up in a draw.

Border-Gavaskar Trophy All Results

The 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy begins November 22 in Perth.