BGT 2024: Pitch perfect battle Down Under as cricket's heavyweights pad up

Can the Border-Gavaskar Trophy claim the title of cricket's 'premier rivalry'? The jury's still out

“Hello, and welcome to all our international viewers to the WACA Ground in Perth…”

 

For many, the understated, mellow voice of Richie Benaud served as a window into a distant land where cricket was loud, aggressive, and played in colossal amphitheatre-like stadia.

 

Benaud’s opening comments, streamed through the sepia-tinted Channel 9 feed, were often a morning alarm for fans who would shiver out of their blankets to perch themselves in front of television sets.

 

Since Benaud’s passing in 2015, much has changed.

 

Channel 9 lost its cricket broadcasting rights in 2018, and the WACA (Western Australian Cricket Association), the spiritual home of cricket in Western Australia, has been replaced by the futuristic 65,000-seater Optus Stadium near the banks of the Swan River.

 

This Friday, Optus Stadium will take centre stage as Australia and India clash in the first of a five-match Test series for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

 

The hype and frenzy surrounding this marquee series have reached a fever pitch, with many in Australia and India billing it as cricket’s most storied rivalry — perhaps even outrivalling the Ashes.

 

Across Australian stadia turnstiles and bustling Indian markets, the Border-Gavaskar Trophy is being celebrated as the real deal — the asli muqabala.

 

Virat Kohli and the dynamic Indian opener Yashasvi Jaiswal have been dominating headlines in leading Australian newspapers.

 

The Daily Telegraph ran a full-page feature on Kohli with a Hindi headline declaring: Yugon ki Ladai (Fight for the Ages). Meanwhile, the Herald Sun went further, splashing Jaiswal across its sports pages with a Punjabi headline: Ikk Navaa Raja (The New King).

 

“It shows how many Indian fans there are around the world. It also shows how much we love India coming to this country and how big this series is,” former Australian captain Michael Clarke told TAB.

 

It has been a decade since India last lost a series in Australia. The visitors have now won back-to-back series on Australian soil, in 2019 and 2021 — a testament to their evolution into a formidable travelling team.

 

In contrast, Australia’s last series win in India was back in 2004.

 

A lot rides on this series.

 

For India, it’s a chance to secure a spot in the World Test Championship final. For Australia, it’s an opportunity to avoid a repeat of their last two series defeats to India.

Attendance and financial stakes are crucial motivators for Cricket Australia to position this series as a potential rival to the Ashes. Cricket Australia reported a loss of $21.34 million in 2023-24.

 

With this high-profile Test series on the horizon and the Ashes following next year, Cricket Australia is eyeing a financial windfall over the next 18 months.

 

“The financial results exceeded our expectations... reflecting a robust collaborative effort throughout Australian cricket to effectively manage costs while maximising revenue,” Cricket Australia Chief Executive Officer Nick Hockley said.

 

It’s little wonder Cricket Australia is championing this series as cricket’s most storied rivalry.

 

Not everyone is convinced.

 

“The very idea of labelling anything as a premier series is bad and toxic. Financially, we are so dominant that more teams want to play us,” Mukul Kesavan, historian and author of Men in White, told Business Standard.

 

“But we were just beaten 3-0 by New Zealand at home. For us to call the Australia series the premier one is a bit smug — especially when Sri Lanka defeated New Zealand 2-0 and then absolutely smashed us. For us to fly to Australia and call this the asli muqabala is laughable,” Kesavan elaborated.

 

There was a time when England and Australia dominated world cricket, and the sport’s priorities revolved around them.

 

Since the turn of the century, India has joined this elite club, now called cricket’s ‘Big Three’. Together, these three nations generate more than 80 per cent of cricket’s revenues and dominate broadcasting deals.

 

“What’s happening now is a similar kind of narcissism. Indian cricket was once weak, but now we are the economic ecology of cricket — we sustain the entire ecosystem,” Kesavan explained.

 

He cautioned against the peculiar ghamand (arrogance) where any series India plays, or any rival India nominates, is deemed cricket’s ‘greatest rivalry’.

 

Nevertheless, Kesavan conceded that the Border-Gavaskar Trophy has all the ingredients for a terrific series.

 

“It’s an A-list series… I’m looking forward to it. It’s always a pleasure to watch cricket on Australian grounds,” he added.

 

Benaud might have summed it up in his inimitable style if he were still around: “Buckle up, folks. We’re in for a marvellous ride.”