The Border-Gavaskar Trophy is here, and it is going to be more fierce than ever. In the World Test Championship era, India and Australia are set to play a 5-match Test series for the first time, affirming the popularity of this growing rivalry.
The series might not have the 100-plus year history of the Ashes, but it has certainly been contested in the most fierce manner in the last 20 years. This time around, Pat Cummins and Jasprit Bumrah – two fast bowlers of very different ilk – are set to captain their respective sides. This is the first time that India and Australia are set to play with two fast bowlers as their leaders. It is a telling example of how two generational talents have forced changes in traditional set-ups like Australia and India.
Border-Gavaskar Trophy: Full Coverage
In a series named after two legendary batters – Allan Border and Sunil Gavaskar – it is perhaps the greatest recognition that two fast bowlers are set to captain their respective sides. While Cummins is the more experienced duo, having won the World Test Championship final and the ODI World Cup in 2023, Bumrah should not be counted out. The eloquent pacer showed his clarity of thought in the pre-match press conference while speaking about his captaincy and overall role as a leader.
“I don’t look at captaincy as a post but I have always loved responsibility. I wanted to do the tough job since I was a child. You want to do things and get thrown in tough scenarios, this adds a new challenge for me. In the next game, things change and that’s how cricket works. Right now, I am in the present. I have been given a responsibility. I did it once and enjoyed it thoroughly. I am thinking about how I can contribute to the best of my capacity,” Bumrah said in the pre-match press conference, a day ahead of the opening Test match in Perth.
Perth Test: All you need to know
Cummins, on the other hand, showed his mutual respect to the Indian speedster, hoping that they would set a trend for the future.
“Yeah, great to see. Should happen more. New Zealand series last year was good with Tim Southee as captain as well. Yeah, I don’t think it really changes too much. It’s one of those rare things. Looking forward to seeing how he goes about his work out there, but as a fan of fast bowling, it’s always good to see,” Cummins said on Thursday, 21 November.
Australia vs India, Perth Test: Predicted XIs | Weather report | Preview
This was a Border-Gavaskar press conference like no other. The captains showed mutual respect, no digs were taken at the other teams. Hell, if they weren’t wearing their respective kits and the press room was not filled with 100 journalists, you would be fooled into believing that this was some low-stakes corporate game.
However, do not mistake Cummins and Bumrah’s kind nature to what they do in the field. They are the best players of their respective sides after all. Cummins was named the Player Of The Series in Border-Gavaskar Trophy, despite the hosts losing the Test series, owing to some magical performances from the Indian team. In 2023 World Cup Final, Cummins’ tactical brilliance rolled over the Indian team at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
On the other hand, Bumrah…Wait, do we still need to speak about Bumrah? 173 wickets from 40 Tests at an average of 20.57. The Indian speedster has bowled one of the most iconic deliveries in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy – the dipping slower ball to Shaun Marsh in 2018/19.
Bumrah is a genius in all formats of the game, more so in Test cricket. The pacer has 32 wickets from just 7 Tests in Australia and has the ability to turn any game on its head. The pacer will hope to continue his purple patch in Australia, albiet the result of the Perth Test, after which he may have to step down as a captain.
But for now, let us enjoy – two fast bowlers – captaining India and Australia – in a series – named after two of the most legendary batters of all time.
Tune In
