Usman Khawaja came over carrying the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. It was heavy but it was not like he was ready to let go of it. He wasn’t sure if he’d held it before, mumbling something about not having done that. He even went through each series he’s played against India, before reconfirming to himself this was indeed his first time.
“No, no I wasn’t part of the squad in 2014-15. And we haven’t won in India. So yeah, it’s the first one.”
His smile grew even bigger. His clasp on the trophy got tighter. Khawaja wasn’t the only one. It had taken 14 years into his Test career to be part of a series-winning squad against the Indians. It had taken Pat Cummins the same time. Not just as captain but as player. Like the rest of the Australians, he couldn’t stop smiling.
India had been the last frontier for this Australian team. Always India. Australia held every other bilateral Test title, and even had the coveted World Test Championship mace. But not the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Like Cummins and Khawaja, there were some in their team who had never held it before. There were some in their team that had not held it in over a decade. The likes of Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon were at very early stages of their respective careers when they last did it. Even head coach Andrew McDonald and selector George Bailey were active cricketers when India last lost a Test series to the Australians.
But on the back of Scott Boland’s best returns in a Test match, and a dream debut for Beau Webster, alongside some Cummins heroics, Australia had set its world right again. It had regained and brought back the one shining jewel missing from its burgeoning trophy cabinet.
It’s not quite a revolution. If anything it’s a return to the old world order, with Australia on top.
They had done it the hard way. Cummins and Starc had willed their bodies through five rigorous Tests. Any advantage gained was hard fought, with India roaring back time and time again.
The series final scoreline of 3-1 had looked a long way away when the Aussies went down in Perth to kick off the series. The team was under the scanner. The captain was under scrutiny. And the legacy of the Cummins era of Australia in Tests seemed to be under harsh review. Surely, the Aussies couldn’t end up losing to India at home for the third successive time. Once is a mistake, twice is careless, but three times is a bad habit.
Australia managed to not only bounce back from the aftermath of the Perth defeat but also hold its nerve repeatedly in the face of Jasprit Bumrah’s devilish bowling. There were times when the Australians had to dig deep on pitches not always easy to play their style of cricket on. But they did it.
They found ways to be ruthless, like they hadn’t managed for a decade; to stay in front despite the incessant twists and turns through the summer. To their credit, they never panicked. Not after Perth. Not after rain robbed them of a great opportunity to take a lead in Brisbane. Not after India’s defiance nearly helped the visitors pull off a draw in Melbourne.
It didn’t quite feel like the culmination of a legacy journey. This was of course a significant hump to get over for a number of senior players. Australia had finally got over the line against India though also with three different debutants in the series; all three playing important roles along the way.
Nathan McSweeney did lose his spot after the first three Tests but his 39 in the first innings under lights in Adelaide was crucial in helping the Australians draw level in Adelaide. Sam Konstas was pivotal in shifting the momentum against Bumrah with his sensational debut knock on Boxing Day at the MCG. And Webster’s composure and temperament with the bat across both innings in Sydney were vital in Australia getting home in relatively stress-free fashion on the final day of the series. There were enough signs that this could be a result the team could build on for the future.
As for India, this was a tour that saw it lose its grip on the most coveted of its possessions. Having the edge on Australia for this long was more than a matter of pride. It was part of the Indians’ own legacy. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma had spent a decade finishing on top of the Australians, while Bumrah and Rishabh Pant had never experienced losing to them.
Yes, the loss in the World Test Championship at The Oval in 2023 was painful. Yes, the loss in the 50-over World Cup final later that year was heartbreaking. But they always had the Border-Gavaskar Trophy to hang their hat on. Not anymore. It belongs to Australia now. The return of the old world order.
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