Despite conceding a home series (against New Zealand) for the first time in over a decade, India will head to Australia as a mighty force aiming to retain the Border-Gavaskar trophy and complete a hat-trick of series wins.
The five-Test rubber, starting November 22 in Perth, reignites the riveting rivalry between the two cricketing powerhouses as they look to outplay each other in the race to another World Test Championships final.
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The build-up to the classic rivalry between the finalists of the last WTC final, has started with wicketkeeping legend Adam Gilchrist recently opening up about the mental scars left by the 2001 Border-Gavaskar series, where Australia’s dreams were crushed by India’s epic comeback.
Australia, led by Steve Waugh, came into the series on a 16-Test winning streak and eager to conquer what Waugh termed the “Final Frontier.” The series began on a positive note for the Kangaroos, as they won the opening Test at the Wankhede by 10 wickets, with Gilchrist scoring a quick hundred.
The series, though, took an unforgettable turn during the second Test in Kolkata, when India, following on, staged a remarkable comeback, with VVS Laxman scoring 281 and Rahul Dravid contributing 180 to propel the home side to an improbable total. Harbhajan Singh’s historic hat-trick and 32 wickets throughout the series further boosted India’s resurgence, as the home team went on to clinch the series 2-1, leaving Australia’s dreams shattered.
Gilchrist admitted that his form collapsed during the series, ending with a King’s Pair in Kolkata and further failures in the final match. Speaking on the Stories After Stumps podcast, he recalled being mentally scarred from the tour, and saying that Ponting’s injury in the 2004 Champions Trophy triggered old memories. With Ponting ruled out, Gilchrist had to take over the captaincy for Australia’s next series in India, which revived his memories about playing in the subcontinent.
And three years later, when Australia toured the subcontinent again in 2004, the memories still haunted them. And to make matters worse, Gilchrist had to shoulder the leadership role in the absence of an injured Ricky Ponting.
“I was absolutely in panic when we were playing I think in the Champions Trophy in the UK. We were at Edgbaston and he kind of took the ball on the thumb but he never (usually) left the field. It didn’t matter how bad an injury it was, he kind of stayed out there. He’s a tough little fellow. But he went off and never came back out. So we realised that: 1. he’s out of that tournament and 2. if it’s broken, he will not be able to go to India, certainly not at the start,” recalled the legendary stumper.
“So I started to get nervous straight away, mainly because of the memories of 2001, which was an epic series, one of the great Test match series, for me personally. (I) Went from highest of the highs – scoring a hundred in the first Test of the ’01 series but then closing the series out with a King’s Pair at Eden Gardens, and another pair of 1s in the last Test.”
“So I was mentally scarred from the back bit of that tour. Was I ready to go back there in general? I wasn’t sure. And then to have to captain’s armband on, I was even less certain,” he added.
However, despite the challenges, Australia managed to secure a 2-1 series win in 2004, breaking their 35-year drought in India even as Ponting returned to lead the team for the final Test.
