The Melbourne Test win over India has put Australia just a step away from ending a 10-year wait to reclaim the Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT), and it will also be a repeat of the kind of comeback the Aussies last made in 1997 to clinch a Test series.
Australia went 0-1 down after India won the opener in Perth by 295 runs but have since dominated the BGT holders. The hosts made it 1-1 by winning the pink-ball Test in Adelaide by 10 wickets and then pushed India to the wall in Brisbane before the visitors managed to eke out a draw.
Melbourne saw Indian batting falling apart in their second innings of the Boxing Day Test to lose by 284 runs, giving Australia a 2-1 lead. If the hosts win or draw the fifth and last Test in Sydney as well, the series victory will refresh the memory of the 1997 Ashes.
“If Australia can lift the trophy in Sydney, it would be the first time since the 1997 Ashes they have recovered from a 0-1 deficit to win a Test series,” a report on ‘abc.net.au’ read.
However, if India win to make it 2-2, they will retain the BGT as the last edition’s winners.
The report also said that it’s the first time in 21 years that the “usual SCG finale” will be played with the series yet to be decided.
“It will be the first time a Test series in Australia headed to the usual SCG finale with a trophy up for grabs since India toured here in 2003-04,” it mentioned.
As far as a place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final against South Africa in June 2025, India’s defeat in Melbourne has virtually knocked them out of the race, making Australia the frontrunners to grab the spot and defend their WTC title.
