Border-Gavaskar Trophy

Infobox cricket tournament main
name = Border-Gavaskar Trophy


imagesize = 220px
caption =
administrator = Cricket Australia and BCCI
cricket format = Test
tournament format = series
first = 1996
last =
participants = 2
champions = cr|AUS
most successful = cr|IND (3 titles),
cr|AUS (3 titles)
most runs =
most wickets = The Border-Gavaskar Trophy is a Test cricket series, played between India and Australia. It has witnessed some of the most competitive test series played in recent years, with results usually either being a narrow win for one of the sides or a closely-fought draw. It is currently played via the International Cricket Council's future tours program, with varying lengths of time between matches. If the series is drawn, then the country holding the trophy retains it.

The series is named after Australian cricketer Allan Border and Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar, who both scored over 10,000 test runs in their career and captained their respective teams. The first "Border-Gavaskar Trophy" series was played for in the 1996-97 season and was won by India 1-0. Since then, the trophy has alternated between teams. Australia's failure to win the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in India led to Steve Waugh dubbing the Indian tour as the "Final Frontier" for the Australian team. In 2004-05, Ricky Ponting's Australian team defeated India 2-1 in India. In the 2007/08 season, the Border Gavaskar trophy was played in Australia, with Australia retaining the trophy by winning the first two Tests in Melbourne and Sydney as part of the four Test series. The series is sometimes accompanied by One Day Internationals; these are not considered part of the trophy.

The competitiveness of series played under the trophy is illustrated by the evenness of the wins between the two sides; Australia are slightly in front with 10 test wins to India's 8 (see table below). This evenness can be considered quite an achievement from India's point of view as Australia have been considered the best test team in the world since the trophy was inaugurated in 1996-97.

Naming

The trophy is named after the two great test players Allan Border and Sunil Gavaskar from Australia and India respectively.

The Trophy

Media coverage

Matches played in Australia: Nine Network and ABC Radio in Australia, ESPN Star Sports in India.
Matches played in India: Nimbus Sports in India, Fox Sports in Australia.

eries Summary

Cricketing contests between the two nations have always been of high intensity. For this reason, and with the decline in England's performances since the 1980s, the Border-Gavaskar trophy is now considered by some cricket fans in India and Australia to be at least equal to the traditional Ashes series contests between England and Australia Fact|date=May 2007 (though the 2005 Ashes briefly challenged that, until England's comprehensive 5-0 defeat on their return tour of Australia). The importance of the series is also fueled by Australia's desire to beat India in India in a test match series, which, until their victory in the 2004-05 series, they had not done so since 1969-70. India has developed a reputation of being particularly difficult to beat at home, having lost only two test series since 1986-87. The competitiveness of the series played between the two sides is also reflected in the fact that in both 2000-01 and 2007-08, it was India who ended Australia's runs of 16 consecutive test wins. The series normally starts with sledging. Both the Australian and Indian media hype up the event. Matches in India are commonly described with labels like "final frontier" or "iconic event".

1996-97 series

The 1996-97 series was the first to be recognized as the Border-Gavaskar trophy. This was also Sachin Tendulkar's first series as captain. The series consisted of just one match, played at the Feroz Shah Kotla ground in Delhi.

The match, played from 10 October to 14 October 1996, lasted just over four days, as India defeated Australia by seven wickets. Australia won the toss and elected to bat. But the Indian spinners, led by Anil Kumble, bowled them out for 182. Michael Slater top scored with 44 runs. In reply India scored 361, riding on Nayan Mongia's career best 152. In Australia's second innings, Steve Waugh scored 67 to get his team to 234. This left India with 56 to get in the fourth innings, which they did for the loss of three wickets.

Mongia was adjuged man of the match.

1997-98 series

The Australian cricket team toured India in February-March 1998. ^{[http://usa.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1997-98/AUS_IN_IND/AUS_IN_IND_FEB-APR1998_SCHEDULE.html]}

The tour started on a sour note as Australia lost a practice match to Ranji Trophy champions Mumbai with Sachin Tendulkar scoring a fast double hundred and Mumbai's spin bowlers picking up fourteen of the eighteen Australian wickets that fell. ^{[http://usa.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1997-98/AUS_IN_IND/AUS_BOM_24-26FEB1998.html]}

The first test (played from 6 March to 10 March) started at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. India, having won the toss, elected to bat and with solid contributions from Nayan Mongia, Navjot Sidhu and Rahul Dravid, posted 257. Shane Warne and Gavin Robertson took four wickets each. In reply Australia were struggling at 6-137, but fighting fifties from Ian Healy (90) and Robertson (57) took Australia to 328 and a first innings lead.

In the second innings, fifties from Sidhu and Dravid took India to 2-115, but the highlight of the innings was Sachin Tendulkar who scored 155 in just 191 deliveries, including a particularly savage assault on Shane Warne. He and Mohammed Azharuddin (64) took India to 418 in just 107 overs. The Aussies, faced with a target of 368 runs to win, crumbled as the spin trio of Kumble, Raju and Chauhan took nine wickets. India won by 179 runs. ^{[http://usa.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1997-98/AUS_IN_IND/AUS_IND_T1_06-10MAR1998.html]}

The second test was played from 18 March to 22 March at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Australia won the toss, elected to bat and were soon struggling at 4-29. But Ricky Ponting and Steve Waugh scored fifties, and some late order contributions took Australia to 233. The Indian innings that followed ensured that they would not lose the game, as all the top six batsmen crossed fifty. Azharuddin played a captain's knock, staying unbeaten on 163 as India posted an enormous 633-5 declared. Facing a task of scoring 400 runs to make India bat again, Australia lost wickets at regular intervals and managed to score just 181 runs. Anil Kumble took five wickets in the second innings, but Javagal Srinath was the man of the match for his six wicket haul. ^{[http://usa.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1997-98/AUS_IN_IND/AUS_IND_T2_18-22MAR1998.html]}

The third test was played at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore, from 25 March to 29 March. India won the toss and elected to bat first. Tendulkar scored 177 to notch up his second hundred of the series as India scored 424 in their first innings. Australia posted a score of 400 through Slater (91) and Mark Waugh (153*), while Kumble took six wickets for India. Starting with a lead of 24, India never really settled into a partnership, as wickets fell at regular intervals, and finally collapsed at the end with 5 wickets falling for just 25 runs. Scoring just 169, India set Australia a fourth innings target of 194 runs to get. This was achieved with relative ease, as captain Mark Taylor scored an unbeaten 102 and in company of first innings hero Mark Waugh, guided the Aussies home. Michael Kasprowicz was man of the match for his five wickets in the second innings. ^{[http://usa.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1997-98/AUS_IN_IND/AUS_IND_T3_25-29MAR1998.html]}

Sachin Tendulkar was the man of the series for scoring 446 runs in 3 matches, while Anil Kumble picked up 23 wickets.

At the end of the tour, Shane Warne famously said that he would be having nightmares of Tendulkar hitting him for sixes and that only Bradman was in his class. ^{[http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/specials/sachin/story.htm]}

1999-2000 series

This series was the third edition of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, played in Australia from November 1999 to February 2000. Sachin Tendulkar was the captain of India, while Steve Waugh led the Australian team.India lost the first practice match against Queensland by 10 wickets, while winning the second match against New South Wales by 93 runs.

The first test match was played at the Adelaide Oval from 10 December to 14 December. Australia won the toss (cricket) and elected to bat first. Australia were reduced to 4-52 in the first session before Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting scored hundreds to take them near 300. Shane Warne scored 86 low down the order to take Australia to 441. India started their second innings on the second day, but lost both openers quickly and were reduced to 2-9. Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman did well to steady the innings, but both were dismissed before they could go on to big scores. Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly were both unbeaten on 12 as India ended the second day at 4-123. On the third day, Tendulkar and Ganguly went on to score fifties, but the lower order failed to put up serious resistance, and India were bowled out for 285.

Australia declared on 239 for the loss of eight wickets in the second innings, riding on the backs of Greg Blewett's 88 and Adam Gilchrist's quick 43. India needed 396 to win in the last innings and never looked to make match of it, as they collapsed to 110 in just 39 overs. Australia won by 285 runs and Steve Waugh was Man of the Match for his 150 in the first innings. ^{[http://usa.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1999-2000/IND_IN_AUS/SCORECARDS/IND_AUS_T1_10-14DEC1999.html]}

The second test was the Boxing Day Test played at Melbourne. Australia won the toss and chose to bat. The first two wickets fell quickly and Australia were 2-28, but Michael Slater and Mark Waugh took them past 120, before Waugh fell. The rest of the Australian middle order also contributed, notably Ponting and Gilchrist, and Australia reached 405. The Indian openers failed to see off even the first ten overs and India were 2-11. The rest of the batting followed suit, only Sachin Tendulkar standing amongst the ruins as India were dismissed for 238. Sachin Tendulkar scored 116.

Australia started the second innings with a lead of 167, and went for quick runs. Gilchrist, promoted up the order, and Mark Waugh both scored fifties and Australia declared their innings closed at 5-208. India required 376 runs to win in the last innings and were never in the hunt, as wickets fell at regular intervals. Sachin Tendulkar was the only player to cross fifty as India was bowled out for 195. Australia won by 180 runs and Sachin Tendulkar was declared as Man of the Match. ^{[http://usa.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1999-2000/IND_IN_AUS/SCORECARDS/IND_AUS_T2_26-30DEC1999.html]}

The third and last test was the New Year's test, played at Sydney. Sachin Tendulkar won the toss for India and elected to bat first. Only 60 overs were bowled on the first day, but India had collapsed to 8-121 at the end. Sachin Tendulkar(45) was the only batsman to cross forty. The Indian innings folded quickly on the second day for 150. Australia started badly, going to 1-9 and later to 2-49 before Justin Langer and Ricky Ponting, who scored 223 and 141* respectively, took them past 450. An unbeaten cameo of 45 from Gilchrist took them to 5-552, and Australia declared their innings closed.

India needed to cross 400 runs in the second innings just to make Australia bat again, which they had not scored even once in the entire series. But VVS Laxman seemed to have found the form that had eluded him the entire series. The complete range of cricket strokes was on display as Laxman flew to 167 in just 198 balls, being particularly savage on Brett Lee (taking 52 runs off 5 overs at one point) and Shane Warne. The rest of the Indian batting, however, could not stand up to the accuracy of Glen McGrath as he took five wickets to go with the fifer in the first innings. He was declared Man of the Match, as Australia won comprehensively by an innings and 141 runs. ^{[http://usa.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1999-2000/IND_IN_AUS/SCORECARDS/IND_AUS_T3_02-06JAN2000.html]}

Sachin Tendulkar was Man of the Series.

2000-2001 series

The 2000-01 series was the most intense so far, and considered by many fans to be one of cricket's all-time classic confrontations, played over three gruelling Tests.

The First Test was played in Mumbai on 27 February-1 March 2001. The game was over in only three days as Australia dominated from the beginning, putting India in to bat and then dismissing them for only 176 runs. Glenn McGrath took 3-19 and Shane Warne 4-47, Sachin Tendulkar top scoring for India with 76. Australia responded with 349 on the backs of centuries by Matthew Hayden (119) and Adam Gilchrist (122). Harbhajan Singh took 4-121. India's second innings was barely better than their first, Tendulkar again top scoring with 65 in a total of 219. Needing only 47 runs to win, Australia's openers knocked them off in 7 overs, taking Australia to a 10 wicket victory and a 1-0 lead in the series.

The Second Test at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on 11 March-15 March is regarded by many as without doubt one of the most exciting games of cricket ever played, although it began with Australia electing to bat and scoring 445, captain Steve Waugh contributing 110. Harbhajan Singh took 7-123, including a hat-trick. India's woes continued, being dismissed for only 171, with McGrath taking 4-18 in a brilliant bowling performance. Australia enforced the follow-on, and at the end of day 3 India were 254/4, still 20 runs behind forcing Australia to bat again. For many spectators, commentators, and even players, the match and the series were as good as lost for India.

The fourth day saw the turnaround. V.V.S. Laxman and Rahul Dravid batted the entire day, never offering a chance, and ran the Australian fielders ragged as Waugh called on nine different bowlers to try to break the partnership. Laxman and Dravid added 335 runs, taking India to 589/4 and a commanding lead in the game. In the process, Laxman set a new individual high score record for India, surpassing Sunil Gavaskar's 236. Laxman was finally dismissed the next day on 281. Dravid made 180, and India declared on day 5 at 657/7, setting Australia an almost impossible target of 384 runs. Australia crumbled under the suddenly reversed pressure and fell to Harbhajan Singh's 6-73 in reaching only 212 runs. India had come back from the dead and recorded a stunning 171-run victory to level the series 1-1. They were only the third team in history to win a Test match after following on.

The Third Test began at Chennai on 18 March with high expectations of a hard-fought series decider. Australia won the toss for the third time and elected to bat. Hayden batted through the first day for an eventual total of 203, but the rest of Australia's team contributed little to the total of 391. Again, Harbhajan Singh was the destroyer, taking 7-133. India pushed to 501 on the back of Tendulkar's 126. Australia ended day 4 at 241/7, a precarious lead of 131 runs. Early on day 5, Harbhajan again ran through the Australian tail, taking 8-84 and his series tally to an astounding 32 wickets, leaving Australia all out for 264. India had a target of 155 to chase, and plenty of time to do it. The only question was whether Australia's bowlers could get them out first. In 42 nail-biting overs, India steadily lost wickets, sinking to 135/7, a tantalising 20 runs short of victory, but in dire danger of losing their last batsmen before they could score them. The 8th wicket fell at 151, 4 runs short of victory, and it was left to wicket-keeper Sameer Dighe and, who else, Harbhajan Singh to see out the end. Fittingly, Harbhajan cut the winning runs past point and sealed the game and an incredible comeback series victory for India. The series victory for India meant that Australia had still not won a series in India for over 30 years.

2003-04 series

The Indian cricket team toured Australia during November 2003 - February 2004, starting with a four Test series. ^{[http://www.cricket.org/db/ARCHIVE/2003-04/IND_IN_AUS/wci/IND_IN_AUS_NOV2003-FEB2004_SCHEDULE.html]}

Before this tour, India had a poor record in Test matches away from home having won just 18 out of 176 Tests. The previous tour to Australia in 1999-2000 had resulted in a 3-0 defeat and India had not won a test match in Australia since 1981.

The first Test match was played at Brisbane from 4 December to 8 December. In a rain-affected match, Australia got off to a good start with Justin Langer scoring a hundred. Scores from the remaining three batsmen out of the top four (Hayden (37), Ponting (54) and Martyn (42)) took Australia to 262 for the loss of just two wickets at the end of first day's play. Only 18 overs were possible on the second day but the Indians picked up seven Australian wickets for the addition of only 61 runs. The third day was again affected by rain and only six overs were bowled, at the end of which, India were 11 for no loss. India started the fourth day well, but three quick wickets reduced them to 3-62. But Sourav Ganguly (144) and VVS Laxman (75) took India to 409 and a first innings lead of 86. When the last day started, only the first innings had been completed, and the match appeared to be heading for a draw. However, Australia scored quick runs as four of the top five batsmen scored fifties. Matthew Hayden scored 99 runs in 98 balls faced, as Australia declared on 284. India had scored 73 runs out of the target of 199, when play was stopped with the consent of both teams. Sourav Ganguly was Man of the Match. ^{[http://usa.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2003-04/IND_IN_AUS/SCORECARDS/IND_AUS_T1_04-08DEC2003.html]}

The second match was played at the Adelaide Oval from 12 December to 16 December. Australia won the toss and elected to bat. Ricky Ponting was the highlight as he scored 242 runs, while contributions from Simon Katich and Jason Gillespie lower down the order took Australia to a first innings score of 556. Exactly 400 of these runs were scored on the first day. India started their first innings well, but four quick wickets meant that they were in trouble at 4-85. But Dravid and Laxman, the heroes of Eden Gardens in 2001, put together a partnership which took India to 388 before Laxman was dismissed for 148. Dravid went on to string together partnerships with the tail, and was the last man dismissed as India scored 523. Rahul Dravid scored 233.

The second innings started just before lunch on the fourth day, with Australia leading by 33 first innings runs. But wickets fell all too regularly and only the lower middle order put up any resistance as Ajit Agarkar picked up six wickets. Australia were bowled out for 196. India started their second innings chasing 230 runs to win. First innings hero Rahul Dravid scored an unbeaten 72 and, fittingly, hit the winning runs as India won by four wickets. This was the first win for India in Australia since February 1981. Rahul Dravid was Man of the Match. India led the series 1-0 ^{[http://usa.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2003-04/IND_IN_AUS/SCORECARDS/IND_AUS_T2_12-16DEC2003.html]}

The third test match was the traditional Boxing Day Test played at Melbourne. India got off to a good start, with Virender Sehwag scoring a hurricane 195, and ended the first day at 4-329. But in the first session on the second day, wickets fell in a heap and India were bowled out for 366. Australia, in their first innings, put up 558 runs, riding on the backs of Hayden's 136 and Ponting's 257. This was Ponting's second double hundred in as many matches. Anil Kumble picked up six wickets.

India started the second innings 192 runs in the red. Dravid again played his part, scoring 92 runs, but Sourav Ganguly (73) was the only other player to cross fifty, and India were bowled out for 286. This gave Australia a target of only 95, which they achieved for the loss of just one wicket. The series stood level at 1-1. Ricky Ponting was Man of the Match for his 257. ^{[http://usa.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2003-04/IND_IN_AUS/SCORECARDS/IND_AUS_T3_26-30DEC2003.html]} Australia levelled the series tally to 1-1.

The last test was the New Year's test at Sydney. There was a lot expected from this match, as it was the decider, and because it was Steve Waugh's last test match.

India won the toss and elected to bat first. The opening stand between Sehwag (72) and Chopra (45) was worth 123 runs. The spotlight, though, was on Sachin Tendulkar, who had not had success with the bat on the tour. He responded by scoring 241 unbeaten runs and put up 353 runs for the fourth wicket with Laxman (178). A cameo from 'keeper Parthiv Patel took India to 705-7 declared. Australia started well, with Hayden and Langer putting up a 147 run opening stand. But they were in trouble at 7-350 before Katich and Gillespie put on 117 runs for the eighth wicket to take Australia to 474.

India started the second innings 231 runs ahead and requiring quick runs to force a result. Sehwag (47), Dravid (91*) and Tendulkar (60*) all contributed, as India raced to 211 in 43 overs to set Australia 443 to win. Four overs at the end of the fourth day produced no wickets and Australia had to play out the last day to save the test, while India needed 10 wickets to win. The Australian batting responded well under pressure, with Langer, Ponting and Martyn scoring forties. But at 4-196, with more than one session to go, the match could have gone either way. But Steve Waugh, playing his last test, and Simon Katich, the first innings hero, put the match out of India's reach. Waugh scored 80 and Katich was unbeaten on 77 as the match was drawn. Sachin Tendulkar was Man of the Match ^{[http://usa.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2003-04/IND_IN_AUS/SCORECARDS/IND_AUS_T4_02-06JAN2004.html]} The series tally was maintained at 1-1

Rahul Dravid was Man of the Series for 619 runs in four matches. The series was hailed as one of the best that had been played in Australia. [http://usa.cricinfo.com/link_to_database/ARCHIVE/CRICKET_NEWS/2004/JAN/039819_AUSIND2003-04_07JAN2004.html]

2004-2005 series

The Australian cricket team toured India during October - November 2004 for a four Test match series. This was probably Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath's last tour of India. They came with the desire to end Australia's 35 year drought of winning a Test Match series in India. Before this series India had performed poorly in tours of Sri Lanka and the Netherlands, and in the ICC Champions Trophy.

Australia won the first Test played at Bangalore comprehensively. The Indian batting order collapsed twice and they didn't look at any point that they could have made a match out of it. Michael Clarke, playing his first ever Test match, scored 151 runs to take Australia to a commanding position. Harbhajan Singh took another 10 wicket haul (5-146 and 6-78) in the match. Anil Kumble took his 400th wicket. Clarke was awarded Man Of The Match.

Being 1-0 down in the series, India started the second Test match played between 14-18 October 2004 at Chennai on a positive note. The got rid of Australia in the first innings for a mere 235 runs. Earlier, Justin Langer (71) and Matthew Hayden (58) started the Australian innings with a bang. They contributed 136 runs for the opening wicket. When it looked as if Australia would dominate this Test as well, Anil Kumble struck consistently and produced a beautiful bowling spell in which he took 7 wickets for just 48 runs from his 17.3 overs. Australia's innings collapsed from 189-3 to 235 all out. In reply India scored 376 runs and took a commanding lead of 141 runs. Virender Sehwag scored a magnificent 155 runs, Mohammed Kaif on his comeback match scored 64 and was well supported by young Parthiv Patel (54). Shane Warne took 6 wickets for 125 runs. The top order of Australian innings again collapsed in the 2nd innings, but then Damien Martyn notched up a century (104) at the crucial time with the result being that the Australians had scored 369 runs in their second innings, setting a victory target of 229 runs for India to win. India had a good chance of winning the game, but rain on the final day prevented any chance of play, therefore, the match ended in a draw. Anil Kumble took 6 wickets for 133 runs and was awarded Man Of The Match.

The Third Test of the Series was played between 26-30 October at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Ground at Nagpur. Australia won the match and Series in four days. Australia posted 398 in their first innings, with Damien Martyn posting 114 runs with Michael Clarke making 91. In contrast, India played poorly in their first innings and none of their top order batsmen got going. The only batsman to make above 50 was Mohammed Kaif (55). Sachin Tendulkar, who returned from injury, made just 8 runs. India made 185 runs, 14 runs short of the follow-on. Australia rejected the follow-on and began their second innings, setting a target in excess of 500. But once again the Indians were bundled out for 200. None of the frontline batsman made a big score. Sehwag and Patel provided some hope but fell to the Australia's metronomic bowling. Australia won the third Test by 342 runs. Martyn was awarded Man of the Match. With this win, Australia won this Test series after 35 years of trying for success in India, a feat which has been termed the final frontier by Steve Waugh.

The fourth and final Test match was played between 3-7 November 2004 at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. Having already lost the series, India made changes in the team. Patel, Akash Chopra, Ajit Agarkar and Yuvraj Singh were all dropped from the lineup. The first day of play was almost completely washed out by rain, with only 11 overs being bowled. India won the toss and elected to bat. The innings started on a bad note, losing 2 wickets on the first day itself. On the second day India was bowled out for their second-lowest score ever of 104 runs, with Rahul Dravid scoring the highest score in the innings of 31 runs. Jason Gillespie (4-29) was the main wicket taker for Australia. Australia's first innings also didn't last long, as they were bowled out on the same day for a score of 203 runs, with Martyn (55) top scoring. Murali Kartik (4-44) and Kumble (5-90) were the main wicket takers. 18 wickets fell in all on the second day of play. India made 205 runs in their second innings, with significant scores from V.V.S. Laxman (69) and Tendulkar (55). Michael Clarke (6-9) removed the tail order within 23 runs. Chasing 107 runs for victory, Australia lost wickets consistently throughout their second innings and were bowled out for 93 runs, giving India a victory by 13 runs. Harbhajan Singh (5-29) and Murali Kartik (3-32) took most of the wickets. Murali Kartik was named Man of the Match. This Test is one of the shortest Test matches ever played, lasting for only 2 complete days. The pitch prepared for the match had later come in for a lot of criticism by Ricky Ponting.

Damien Martyn was named Man of the Series.

2007-08 series

Australia won the first Test in Melbourne by 337 runs within 4 days.

Australia won the second Test by 122 runs in Sydney on the 5th day with only nine minutes to spare - Michael Clarke took 3 wickets in what would probably have been the second last over.

India fought back with a win in the third Test in Perth by 72 runs. Two changes were made to the Indian team for this game, dropping the out of form Yuvraj Singh, and Harbhajan Singh, and recalling Virender Sehwag and Irfan Pathan. Australia had also made two changes to their team. Chris Rogers was brought in to replace the injured Matthew Hayden to become the 399th Test player for Australia. Shaun Tait was brought in for tactical reasons to replace Brad Hogg as Australia went with a four-pronged pace attack.

India won the toss and elected to bat and the changes were to have an immediate impact. Jaffer and Sehwag contributed for the first opening partnership above fifty of the tour. Dravid, now relieved of his opening duties, found some semblance of form and was dismissed just short of a century on 93 as the highest scorer of the innings as India reached 330.

Pathan's recall to the team was immediately successful dismissing both Australian openers. Australia's top order collapsed, leaving them at 5-63, as they struggled with the swing bowling of the Indian pace attack. A century partnership between Symonds and Gilchrist helped Australia recover to 212, which gave India a lead of 118.

India's second innings again showed the worth of Sehwag as he scored 43 in 61 balls to give momentum at the top of the order. At the dismissal of Jaffer, Pathan came in as night-watchman and scored 46, the second highest score of the innings behind Laxman's 79. India were eventually dismissed for 294, leaving Australia the imposing target of 413 to win.

Australia were bowled out for 340, 73 runs short of their target, and India once again put a stop to an Australian 16 Test match winning streak. Pathan again dismissed the two Australian openers, while Sehwag proved a useful contributor by dismissing Gilchrist and Lee. Australia's team changes proved unsuccessful, with Rogers having scores of 4 and 15, and Tait, wicketless in the match and bowled sparingly. Ponting, in a post match interview with Channel 9, laid the blame for the defeat on a poor first innings batting performance, while Kumble praised the contributions of his team and his young pace attack.

Controversy

Awards

Records and statistics

Match venues

References

ee also