The Third Edit: Border-Gavaskar face-off — stakes are high for both India and Australia

Nov 22, 2024 05:00 IST First published on: Nov 22, 2024 astatine 05:00 IST

In the feverish anticipation it has generated successful the build-up, successful its quality to propulsion audiences to stadiums, streaming platforms and tv screens, the latest instalment of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which unfolds successful Perth connected Friday, matches the Ashes arsenic the astir compelling rivalry successful the sport. India and Australia mightiness not stock a border, caregiver diplomatic tensions oregon taste antagonisms, but they exude a fierce competitiveness, built exclusively connected sporting tropes. It’s a pure, 24-karat sporting rivalry, but with each the intensity, spice and aura of a accepted one.

The stakes are immense for some teams. India are wounded aft the bid decision astatine location against New Zealand, the World Test Championship last spot is hanging successful the balance. A thrashing could signify the extremity of an era. The losses to India successful 2018 and 2021 inactive rankle Australia, who person mislaid the past 4 of their bid against them. Starring successful the expansive contention are immoderate of the modern-day greats. Two of the finest batsmen successful the world, Steve Smith and Virat Kohli, volition effort to out-perform each other. Both person fallen disconnected the rarefied abstraction of greatness they erstwhile inhabited, some volition beryllium determined to retrace and retrieve. Two of the finest off-spinners, Ravichandran Ashwin and Nathan Lyon, connected 536 and 530 wickets respectively, volition beryllium locked successful combat. The sleight-of-hand sorcery of Jasprit Bumrah volition beryllium juxtaposed against the orthodox versatility of Josh Hazlewood. India’s skipper Rohit Sharma is simply a nudge distant from losing captaincy; his counterpart Pat Cummins is simply a propulsion distant from being considered 1 of his country’s top leaders.