NEW DELHI: The Test series between India and Australia was officially named the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series when India and Australia played a one-off Test at the Kotla in Delhi in October 1996.
Named after the legendary cricketers Sunil Gavaskar of India and Allan Border of Australia, the Test series has grown into immense proportions redefining careers of cricketers from both the cricketers.
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Be it the legendary battles between Sachin Tendulkar and Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath, or the 2001 Kolkata Test where VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid turned the match and the series on its head with an epic partnerships, or Virat Kohli becoming a legend with some heroic performances on Australia soil, India-Australia Test series have often made history.
India have won the last two Test series in Australia and are now eyeing their third successive Test series win Down Under.
Talking to 7Cricket, the legendary Sunil Gavaskar shared an interesting anecdote about his rivalry he has had with Allan Border over the years.
Gavaskar was asked if the intensity is very much there between him and Border despite their wonderful friendship over the years.
Gavaskar replies with a smile, “Well, because he’s (Border) got me out, that’s the problem. You see, he’s got me out. I never got a chance to bowl to him. If I got a chance to bowl to him and get him out it might have been different. But you know he’s a little, you know, things that you know, used to come in and do this and bowl. And can you imagine he got one ball to turn, and I played that down the wrong line, top edge and I was out.”
In 20 Test matches against India, Border took 4 wickets and one of them was Gavaskar.
Gavaskar continues, “So you know, I am reminded of it every time I bump into him. He comes and says ‘Hello Bunny, how are you?’ What do I say to that?”
For the record, Border was the second batsman in the world to reach the landmark of 10,000 runs in Test cricket in 1993 after Gavaskar, who had achieved the feat in 1987.
