Since the India-Australia Test Series is called Border-Gavaskar Trophy for apparent reasons, the clashes between the sides have become more personal as the pride involved in this trophy has leaped bounds.
It is apparent that both sides have had some excellent batters and produced many legends of the game, in the batting department especially. From Sachin Tendulkar, who leads the runs chart of BGT tournaments, to Steve Smith, who is closing Sachin in the tournament’s runs and hundreds chart, we have many names that will be remembered forever for their incredible contributions to the game.
As we have seen many overall BGT records, here is a more edition-specific stat. We listed below the batters who scored the most runs in a single Border-Gavaskar series.
Most Runs in a Single BGT Series
| BATSMAN | RUNS IN A SEASON | INNINGS | 100S | SEASON | HOST |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steve Smith (AUS) | 769 | 8 | 4 | 2014/15 | Australia |
| Ricky Ponting (AUS) | 706 | 8 | 2 | 2003/04 | Australia |
| Virat Kohli (IND) | 692 | 8 | 4 | 2014/15 | Australia |
| Michael Clarke (AUS) | 626 | 6 | 2 | 2011/12 | Australia |
| Rahul Dravid (IND) | 619 | 8 | 1 | 2003/04 | Australia |
| Matthew Hayden (AUS) | 549 | 6 | 2 | 2000/01 | India |
| Ricky Ponting (AUS) | 544 | 6 | 2 | 2011/12 | Australia |
| Cheteshwar Pujara (IND) | 521 | 7 | 3 | 2018/19 | Australia |
| VVS Laxman (IND) | 503 | 6 | 1 | 2000/01 | India |
| Steve Smith (AUS) | 499 | 8 | 3 | 2016/17 | India |
Key Stats
An aggregate of 769 runs scored by Steve Smith in 2014/15 in a 4-match Test series against India is the most number of runs scored in a single Border-Gavaskar Series. His runs tally that year included four centuries, a joint record for most centuries scored in a single BGT series. Virat Kohli, the Indian topper of the chart, also scored 4 centuries in the same tournament edition, scoring close to 700 runs. You can check the year-wise Test runs progression of Steve Smith and Virat Kohli to understand how good they were in the last ten years.
Steve Smith’s 769 is also the highest number of runs in any IND vs. AUS Test series ever played. He overtook Don Bradman’s aggregate of 715, which he scored in India’s 1947/48 visit to Australia.
Matthew Hayden’s “549 runs” in the 2000/01 edition is the highest score among the BGT tournaments held in India. VVS Laxman scoring 503 in the same series, which involves the historic 281 at Eden Gardens, comes second on Indian soil.
Ricky Ponting is the only player with two BGT series with 500+ total runs. Steve Smith came so close when he made 499 runs in the 2016/17 edition.
Also Read: What makes Steve Smith’s unorthodox batting technique work?
