India's Decade-Long Border-Gavaskar Trophy Dominance Ends In Disastrous Loss To Australia

India's decade-long dominance of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy came to an abrupt end as Australia defeated Jasprit Bumrah's team by 6 wickets on Sunday, January 5. On Day 3 of the final Test in Sydney, India failed to contain the Australian batting lineup, with the hosts chasing down a target of 162 runs in just 27 overs.

Jasprit Bumrah's impressive tour of Australia ended in an anticlimax, as the fast bowler was unable to take the field for India's bowling innings on Day 3.

Photo Credit: AP/PTI

The stand-in captain was ruled out of action the previous day due to a back spasm and couldn't even take the field for the final innings, reported India Today.

Without Bumrah, India struggled to bowl effectively, in stark contrast to how Scott Boland and Pat Cummins performed, especially on Day 3 morning, taking the last four Indian wickets for just 16 runs.

India had hoped for more fight with the bat from Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar, but the pitch, which offered excessive seam movement, made it difficult.

Mohammed Siraj, who had shown signs of returning to form on Day 2, started with 5 wides in his first over. Young Prasidh Krishna followed suit in the very next over, adding to India's misery.

Australia took full advantage of the situation, racing to a rapid start - almost as if it were a T20 powerplay. Chasing 162 runs, Australia were 50/1 in just 6 overs, a situation any team would be pleased with, even in T20 cricket, let alone Test cricket.

The only pressure India managed to apply was during a 3-over spell from Prasidh Krishna, who picked up the wickets of Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith just before lunch.

Post-lunch, Australia resumed their attack, with Travis Head and Usman Khawaja hitting the Indian pacers for boundaries, swiftly removing any hope of India winning the match.

Although India showed some signs of life when Khawaja was dismissed for 41, the celebrations were muted, indicating that India had already accepted their fate in the series.

Khawaja's departure did little to dampen Australia's resolve. Debutant Beau Webster, who had scored a fifty in the first innings, showed no signs of nerves and contributed to the team's victory.

Losing BGT after a decade

Since India's ill-fated 2014/15 tour, when then-captain MS Dhoni retired midway through the series, this was the first series India had lost to Australia. Under Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane, India had dominated the competition for the past 10 years, winning memorable series both at home and abroad.

Kohli's historic 2018/19 win in Australia made the Border-Gavaskar Trophy one of the most marketable rivalries in international cricket. In Kohli's temporary absence, India further solidified their stature by winning the 2020/21 series with a thrilling finish at the Gabba.

However, the 2024/25 series played out very differently, with India not only struggling with the bat but also becoming embroiled in several controversies, reminding fans of their disastrous 2014/15 tour.

Indian batters collapse

The main reason behind India's loss was their poor batting performance. Out of 10 innings, India managed fewer than 200 runs in six of them. They only broke the 200-run barrier three times: once in their win at Perth (487/6d), and once each in Melbourne (369) and Brisbane (260).

This placed immense pressure on the bowling unit, which didn't get enough rest between overs. Only twice in the series did India bat for more than 100 overs in a single innings. Most innings were completed in between 35-78 overs, leading to injuries in India's bowling lineup.

Akash Deep was ruled out of the final Test, while Bumrah's body gave way in Sydney after bowling an excessive number of overs in Melbourne.

Questionable team selection

Australia's squad for the series was settled well in advance, with Pat Cummins' team having played together for a long time. In fact, in the final Test, Australia had no player under 30 years of age, apart from Sam Konstas, who debuted at 19.

In contrast, India's team selection was far from stable, with three different spinners used in the first three Tests before opting for a mix of three pacers, two spinners, and Nitish Reddy in the final two Tests. The lack of a consistent line-up contributed to India's poor performance on the field, with the pace of their fast bowlers dropping as the series progressed. Bumrah, known for consistently bowling at over 140 km/h, dropped to the 125 km/h range due to the heavy workload.

Legendary series for Bumrah

At one point, India's bowling attack appeared so toothless that it became a running joke on social media that the Indian unit was "Bumrah and nothing". Bumrah continually rescued the team by taking crucial wickets. He was a saving grace for a batting unit that consistently struggled.

Bumrah took 32 wickets at an average of 13.06, the best-ever by any Indian bowler in a Test series against Australia. He deserved more from his teammates, who failed to back him up during this crucial tour.

Retirements, controversies, and leaks

Signs of internal strife began when Ravichandran Ashwin left the tour midway after the third Test in Brisbane. His father criticised the decision, stating that Ashwin could no longer tolerate the humiliation.

After India's loss in the Melbourne Test - their first defeat in three series - leaks from the dressing room emerged, with reports about a "Mr. Fixit" aiming to become the interim captain during this transitional phase. It was also revealed that Rohit Sharma was not playing in the fifth Test, despite earlier claims he had been dropped.

Rohit clarified the situation, explaining in an interview that he had voluntarily stepped down for the Test. He emphasised that he wasn't retiring from the format.

The 2024/25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy will go down as one of the most dramatic series in recent history, though it would have been far better if the drama on the field matched the off-field controversies.