Is this cricket’s greatest rivalry? Who can say, but it’s an undeniably great one. And it’s never been more competitive than it has over the last decade, when Australia and India have produced a generation of champion players.
Some of them may still be around to contest the next edition of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, but for most, this series that’s about to commence is probably the final rumble.
Put yourself in any of their shoes. India begin this long and even-more-gruelling-than-usual tour with a proud record to protect. They wrested this trophy back in 2016-17, and have kept a tight grip on it ever since, winning 2-1 four times in a row including on back-to-back tours of Australia.
All those series were intensely fought, but India won each time. Now, they come to Australia wounded, having watched an unprecedented run of home-ground success end in emphatic circumstances, and with key players absent.
That look of vulnerability, however, will only make Australia extra-wary. They know that look, and they know, from four years ago, how deceptive it can be. This is one of Australia’s greatest eras, but it’s also coincided with an inability to beat their closest rivals, home and away, even when they’ve been at full strength. Now, with their core group ageing all at once, they have what’s most likely their final chance to set that record straight.
It’s Cummins vs Bumrah, Kohli vs Smith, it’s Border vs Gavaskar all over again, and it’s about to come to you, in approximately an hour’s time, from the Optus Stadium in Perth.
