Unraveling the Legacy: The Border-Gavaskar Trophy and the Historic India-Australia Cricket Rivalry
CricketPanditThe Border-Gavaskar Trophy has its origins in the 1996-97 season, but the cricket rivalry between India and Australia stretches back to the colonial period. Australian teams began touring India even before the country gained independence from British rule. The Indian team made its first official tour to Australia just months after independence, in October 1947, where they faced a tough challenge and lost the five-Test series 4-0, marking the start of a fierce rivalry.
Before the establishment of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 1996, the two teams had already played 12 Test series against each other. The trophy was named in honor of two cricketing legends: Sunil Gavaskar from India and Allan Border from Australia. At that time, both players were the only cricketers to have surpassed 10,000 Test runs, making the series a tribute to their remarkable achievements. They are still celebrated as some of the greatest Test batsmen in history.
The inaugural Border-Gavaskar series took place as a single Test match in Delhi, where India triumphed over Australia by seven wickets. Nayan Mongia, the Indian wicket-keeper, played a crucial role by scoring an impressive 152 runs in the first innings, setting the stage for India’s victory.
Since that initial Test in Delhi, the two teams have faced each other in 16 series. India has emerged victorious in 10 of those series, including the last four, while Australia has claimed victory five times, with one series ending in a draw.
Border-Gavaskar Trophy All Results
| Year | Host Country | Winner | Scoreline | Player Of The Series |
| 1996-97 | India | India | 1-0 | Nayan Mongia |
| 1997-98 | India | India | 2-1 | Sachin Tendulkar |
| 1999-00 | Australia | Australia | 3-0 | Sachin Tendulkar |
| 2000-01 | India | India | 2-1 | Harbhajan Singh |
| 2003-04 | Australia | Draw | 1-1 | Rahul Dravid |
| 2004-05 | India | Australia | 2-1 | Damien Martyn |
| 2007-08 | Australia | Australia | 2-1 | Brett Lee |
| 2008-09 | India | India | 2-0 | Ishant Sharma |
| 2010-11 | India | India | 2-0 | Sachin Tendulkar |
| 2011-12 | Australia | Australia | 4-0 | Michael Clarka |
| 2012-13 | India | India | 4-0 | R Ashwin |
| 2014-15 | Australia | Australia | 2-0 | Steven Smith |
| 2016-17 | India | India | 2-1 | Ravindra Jadeja |
| 2018-19 | Australia | India | 2-1 | Cheteshwar Pujara |
| 2020-21 | Australia | India | 2-1 | Pat Cummins |
| 2022-23 | India | India | 2-1 | R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja |
| 2024-25 | Australia | TBA | TBA | TBA |
