India playing Australia is always exciting!
And the longer format makes it more compelling.
Above all, the series is named “The Border-Gavaskar Trophy” after two greats who have played the game for their respective countries.
This article will answer the questions: Why is the India-Australia Test series named the Border-Gavaskar Series, and when was it started? And much more.
To start with,
Why is it called the Border-Gavaskar Trophy? (The Name History)
To put it in simple words, it is named so after the two greats who have played the game for both India and Australia.
When it was decided to name the Trophy a name in 1996, Sunil Gavaskar and Allan Border were the easy picks as they were the best players of their respective countries in Test cricket at that time.
Sunil Gavaskar was the first ever Cricketer to reach 10000 Runs in Test cricket & Allan Border was the first batsman to reach onto 11000 runs mark in Tests.
Also, Allan Border featured in 153 consecutive Test matches for his team, which is only next to Alastair Cook’s 159 straight games!
Above all, these two players captained their teams during the mid-80s when they were at their peaks.
Read: You can find here the name reason behind the Ashes Series played between England and Australia.
When was the first Border-Gavaskar Trophy played?
The First Border-Gavaskar Trophy was played in 1996 in India as a 1-match Test Series, and India won it 1-0.
Before that, India and Australia played 50 Test matches in which Australia won 24 times and India 8. There was also one famous tied Test match and the 17 drawn Tests.
When was the last edition of Border-Gavaskar Trophy played?
India and Australia played against each other in the longest format last time in 2020/21 in Australia.
India made a dramatic comeback in that series. After being bundled out for just 36 in the second innings of a lost opening Test match in Adelaide, they twisted back to win the series 2-1. The famous Gabba win etched its name in the history of magical moments in Indian cricket.
Who is the current holder of Border-Gavaskar Trophy?
As the winner of the last edition in 200/21, Team India currently holds the Border Gavaskar Trophy. The men in blue have been holding the trophy since their win in the home series against Aussies in 2016/17. They have won three consecutive Test series from then.
The next edition of BGT will be held in India in 2023. Find the complete schedule of the tournament here.
Who has won the most Border-Gavaskar Trophy?
In the 15 BGT series held so far, India has won it 8 times and Australia 7. So, India leads the tournament head-to-head for the time being.
You can find complete head-to-head stats and a home/away analysis in this article.