Border-Gavaskar Trophy’s 10 biggest moments: Making of Australia-India rivalry

Since the advent of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 1996, Australia’s rivalry with India has become one of sport’s fiercest. We count down the 10 biggest moments in the series’ history.

It has turned into one of the fiercest rivalries in world sport – and since the advent of the Border-Gavaskar Series in 1996, Australia’s showdowns with India have produced some of the greatest moments in cricket.

For nearly three decades the two nations have cemented themselves as the powerhouses in world cricket.

In these battles, no batter has scored more runs than India’s Sachin Tendulkar, and no bowler taking more wickets than Australia’s Nathan Lyon.

But numbers alone barely begin to tell the story. This is a showdown build on controversy, occasional pettiness, a large dose of superstars and, above all, stupendous cricket.

From the inaugural Test in Delhi, where Steve Waugh’s unbeaten 67 in trying conditions – labelled the finest of his career by the man himself – wasn’t quite enough to secure victory, these have been battles which elevate its competitors to greater heights.

Condensing this history into its most memorable innings, incidents and iconic moments was no easy feat.

News Corp’s cricket writers have distilled 28 years into a Top 50. These moment are from the Border-Gavaskar trophy years only if you are wondering why Dean Jones’ double century may not be present.

Earlier this week, we revealed No.50-No.11. Now it’s time for the Top 10.

Sourav Ganguly’s fitness test in Nagpur before the 2004 Test.

10. GANGULY AND THE MYSTERIOUS HAMSTRING INJURY, NAGPUR, 2004

Rumours of a major fallout between Goa cricket staff and their Indian bosses in the deciding 2004 India and Australia Test match were confirmed the moment both teams saw a pitch which India would have loved to have been bare and dusty but was covered with lush, green grass. Most mysteriously, stunned captain Sourav Ganguly developed a leg muscle strain from no apparent effort and started limping his way through the pre-match warm-up, pulling out of the match in what some critics suggested was a classic case of green wicket-itis. Spinner Harbhajan Singh, who was also seen shaking his head upon his first sight of the wicket, also withdrew with a mystery ailment, leaving poor Rahul Dravid to captain the team against a rampaging Australia who played brilliantly to snatch their first Test series win in India in more than three decades.

Michael Clarke wicket 1

Michael Clarke wicket 2

Michael Clarke wicket 3

9. GOLDEN ARM CLARKE’S FIVE-BALL MIRACLE, SCG, 2008

Who can forget the five-ball spell that suggested Michael Clarke truly could do no wrong. When Australia’s golden boy, with 15 minutes to go and the shadows creeping across the SCG, was tossed the ball by Ricky Ponting and asked to do something magical. India were creeping towards a gutsy draw, and had just a handful of overs to survive with three wickets in hand. Two wickets fell in the blink of an eye, with Clarke going bang-bang before Ishant Sharma strolled to the crease. He brought two right-handed gloves to the middle, adding to the drama as time ticked away. He lasted just three deliveries, with Clarke wheeling away in celebration as Sharma sliced a chance to the safest hands in cricket, Michael Hussey, to end the Test.

Hazlewood wicket Adelaide

8. AN ABYSMAL DAY FOR THE ADELAIDE 36ERS, ADELAIDE, 2020

For several painful weeks in the summer of 2020 the India‘s cricket team had a new nickname … the Adelaide 36ers.

It’s the moniker owned by the city’s basketball team but it was claimed by Virat Kohli’s cricket side after they were bowled out for that number on a day of carnage and chaos at the Adelaide Oval.

This was not a case of a diabolical deck bearing its claws. Just pinpoint seam bowling triggering a frenzy of flawed edges as Josh Hazlewood took 5-8 and Pat Cummins 4-21.

Damien Martyn was the hero in Nagpur in 2004.

Martyn celebrates his milestone.

7. MARTYN’S SERIES-CLINCHING TON BREAKS DROUGHT, NAGPUR, 2004

In what was perhaps the defining Test series win for the golden generation of Australian players, Damien Martyn provided the bedrock for the series-clinching win on a green deck in Nagpur. The West Australian was denied twin tons when caught behind for 97 off Zaheer Khan in the second innings but deservedly claimed player of the match honours for his telling contributions to continue what proved to be the standout year of his Test career.

Ricky Ponting is stumped off the bowling of Harbhajan Singh.

6. HARBHAJAN’S CONTROVERSIAL HAT-TRICK, EDEN GARDENS, 2001

It was sheer pandemonium at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata as Harbhajan struck for one of the most memorable hat-tricks in the history of the game. On earlier tours of Australia, Harbhajan was the Indian team’s laundry boy, yet suddenly in this moment he became a legend. His greatest achievement in that 2001 series was destroying Ricky Ponting who he got out for fun. But his hat-trick was tinged with controversy and some umpiring calls that, two decades on, look highly questionable in the pre-DRS era. Ponting was the first victim in the hat-trick, then Adam Gilchrist was adjudged LBW, then Shane Warne with fielders crowded around the bat. Harbhajan’s 32 wickets in three Tests at an average of 17 stands as one of the greatest spin bowling performances ever in Test cricket.

Michael Clarke celebrates his century on Test debut.

5. MICHAEL CLARKE DEBUT TON, BENGALURU, 2004

From the moment he made his first-class debut as a 17-year-old, Michael Clarke’s reputation as a star of the future was firmly stamped. Five years later, a kid rocking bleach-blonde tips made his Test debut and cemented that reputation with a stunning 151, with the rising star donning his baggy green as he brought up the milestone. It set up victory in the opening Test of Australia’s breakthrough series win in 2004. With Australia teetering at 4-149, Clarke combined with Simon Katich and then Adam Gilchrist, who hit an imperious 104, to lay the foundations of an imposing total of 474 – and ultimately a 217-run victory.

Steve Smith salutes the late Phil Hughes after his century in 2014.

4. AUSTRALIA’S EMOTIONAL TONS AFTER HUGHES DEATH, ADELAIDE, 2014

In the agonising days after Phil Hughes’ death, David Warner could barely train, walking out of one net session after three balls.

Staff almost pulled him out of the next Test. Yet out he went and scored two emotional centuries in an epic Adelaide Test which had been transferred from Brisbane after being postponed to December 9 due to Hughes death on November 27, 2014.

“Phil was at the other end when I scored my first Test century and I felt the little bloke was up the other end today,’’ Warner said.

Michael Clarke and Steve Smith also scored centuries with Smith moving over towards the giant 408 emblazoned the field in Hughes’ honour before he looked high to the heavens. “The cricket seemed almost irrelevant,’’ Smith said later.

Coach Darren Lehmann was so concerned with the emotional state of his players he told them he would totally understand it if they withdrew from the game. Yet for Warner, Smith, Clarke and a few others who shone, it was as if the realisation there more important things in life than cricket liberated their freedom of expression and allowed them to produce masterful performances.

Andrew Symonds glares at Harbhajan Singh during the 2008 SCG Test.

3. MONKEYGATE SCANDAL, SCG, 2004

Andrew Symonds never recovered from Monkeygate.

It wasn’t the alleged “monkey’’ taunt that crushed him – it was the shambolic, “money versus morals’’ circus that followed.

His love of cricket plunged. His trust in the system fell through the floorboards.

He vanished from international cricket years too soon, feeling out of place in the Australian dressing room and the game in general.

The scandal was triggered after Symonds, later killed in a car accident in May, 2022, swore he heard Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh call him a “monkey’’ in the SCG Test of 2008.

The matter was immediately reported to umpires and ICC referee Mike Proctor initially slapped Harbhajan with a three match ban.

But the whole mood changed when India appealed the ban and threatened to pull out of the tour which made the Cricket Australia board wilt under pressure, much to the lament of one board member, Allan Border.

“I was very disappointed with the stance we took,” Border told filmmaker Peter Dickson. “We backtracked quite substantially.”

“But there was a strong reason for it — the threat of (India) going home became a serious financial hole.’’

At an appeal hearing before ICC appeals commissioner Justice John Hansen, featuring evidence from Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke and Matt Hayden, Harbhajan was found ‘not guilty’ of racially abusing Symonds and the ban was overturned.

The off-spinner was instead slapped with a 50% match fee fine and Symonds was left shattered, his zest for the game gone.

Pant winning runs

2. PANT INSPIRES INDIA TO ALMIGHTY GABBA COMEBACK, 2021

Heading into the final hour of the final session of the greatest Border-Gavaskar series of all time, a fire-breathing Pat Cummins knocked over Cheteshwar Pujara to put Australia on course for victory. India needed an improbable 100 runs to win, and while Australia still needed six wickets, three of those six were bona fide No.11s.

The only problem for the hosts was the presence of one Rishabh Pant. Having batted circumspectly to 34 off 84 off that point, the whole cricketing world held its breath to see what he would do – shut up shop and fight for the draw or swing for the hills?

An over later he answered the question with a smoked cover drive off Josh Hazlewood for four in a nine-run over. There’d be another in the next over from Pat Cummins, before Nathan Lyon would get the same treatment. Remarkably, he finishes the job with three overs to spare.

Here's wishing one of #TeamIndia's most stylish batsmen, @VVSLaxman281 a very happy birthday 🎂🍰

On his special day, relive his 'very very special' knock of 281 against Australia #HappyBirthdayVVSLaxmanpic.twitter.com/72e2ZwCD90

— BCCI (@BCCI) October 31, 2019

1. THE GREATEST PARTNERSHIP OF THEM ALL, EDEN GARDENS, 2001

The most iconic stand in India-Australia history? How about the most famous partnership in Test cricket? There could barely be a more significant alliance than the fifth-wicket magnum opus of VVS Laxman (281) and Rahul Dravid (180) at Eden Gardens in 2001. Their 376-run partnership took in the entirety of day four of the second Test after Australia enforced the follow-on. Defying an attack of Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie and Michael Kasprowicz, Laxman and Dravid changed the course of history, leading to the end of Australia’s record-breaking 16-match Test win streak and bringing India back from series oblivion.

Originally published as Border-Gavaskar Trophy’s 10 biggest moments: Making of Australia-India rivalry