BGT series: India’s race to number 1 in Tests started after their battle-hardened series defeat down under in 2007-08. This rivalry soon assumed box-office status. The Border-Gavaskar trophy became one of the hottest properties in world cricket. Australia was a team in the transition phase while India’s golden generation of players had a couple more years of cricket left. India’s competitive edge received a fillip with the IPL’s inception.
We look at how the BGT series between 2008-15 panned out:
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#1 The start of home dominance:
India’s growing stature in Tests needed a win over Australia to certify their credentials. Australia had a chance of going 1-0 up in the 4-match series. But Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan’s dodged partnership with the bat ensured India go unscathed. India then went on to dominate the Aussies in the next 3 Tests. MS Dhoni was the stand-in captain in the 2nd Test that India won comfortably.
The 3rd Test ended in a draw that saw Anil Kumble passing the baton over to MS Dhoni. India outthought Australia in the final Test as Dhoni employed a 7-1 field to deny Aussie batters easy runs. Australia caved in to hand India a 2-0 series win. The contest was well and truly on!
#2 One of India’s best years in Tests
The 2010 Border-Gavaskar series saw a mini battle of just two Tests in India. Ricky Ponting returned to lead the side for the third tour to India. The series though is forgotten in the other heavy-duty India-Australia battles. Both the Tests saw gripping contests with either team standing a chance to win. The game in Mohali swung like a pendulum with India all but out at 124-8 chasing a total of 216. VVS Laxman and Ishant Sharma, two of Australia’s familiar foes joined hands to script an improbable Indian win.
The second Test in Bengaluru was a high-scoring one as both teams scored 400+ in their first innings. It was a second-inning shootout that saw India unearth a new batting star. Cheteshwar Pujara’s rapid 72 in the fourth innings helped India whitewash the Aussies 2-0. It was perhaps the first time that India had won a 2-match Test series against Australia 2-0.
Also Read: Border-Gavaskar trophy: Numbers Game This Century – Part I
#3 India’s disastrous overseas sojourn in 2011-12:
The golden generation of Indian cricket was on its last legs. India suffered a humiliating 0-4 whitewash to England in 2011. The side couldn’t play its first-choice XI owing to fitness issues in England. India’s whitewash was rubbed off as an aberration. They were expected to win their first-ever series in Australia in 2011-12. The Aussie unit was a young one while India had wealth of Test caps among them.
India fought gamely in the first Test despite being behind the eight ball for the most part. They conceded an early advantage to seize a first-innings lead. Australia posted a challenging total of 292 that India found too big a mountain to climb. From thereon, the bad just kept getting worse for the Indian side.
The team lost the next two Tests in Sydney and Perth without even putting up a fight. There were many careers on the line as India played the final Test in Adelaide. Virat Kohli scored his maiden century albeit in a lost cause in Adelaide. India again went down 0-4 on a tough overseas tour.
