Usman Khawaja talks about the India-Australia rivalry ahead of the Border Gavaskar Trophy

It’s India’s turn to tour Australia this time for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. However, despite the setting being an away tour, the Indians will still come as the dominant side for the highly charged series. The reason is simple: It’s been almost a decade since Australia last claimed the red-ball trophy against India. The Kangaroos last won the 2014/15 edition of the BGT on their home soil. Since then, India, whether at home or away, has retained the trophy, denying Australia any say in the proceedings. Thus, when India tours Australia at the end of this year, the pressure will be on the Kangaroos to reaffirm their Test abilities and contain the formidable Indian team on Australian soil.

"For India it's always been the case to beat Australia," says Usman Khawaja ahead of the Border Gavaskar Trophy

India registered a 2-1 victory over the Kangaroos in their last two tours to Australia for the 2018/19 and 2020/21 editions of the BGT. The 2020/21 season saw the Indian team, with Rishabh Pant leading the charge, script the historic Gabba breach. For their home triumphs, in 2016-17 and 2022-23, India clinched the series with a 2-1 result in both four-match contests. Now, Australian batter Usman Khawaja has opened up about how India’s recent wins have fueled the rivalry between the two sides. Khawaja highlighted that with the rise of India and the IPL in the cricketing setup, Australia has been intent on beating the Indian team. The batter further stated that for India, beating Australia has always been the goal.

"For Indians, it's always been the case to beat Australia. And more recently, you know, since the rise of India and IPL and everything else that happened, it's the same way with Australia against India," Khawaja said. "And particularly since India has beaten Australia in Australia the last two times they’ve come for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, it just means a little bit more,” he added.

Usman Khawaja further highlighted how India and Australia have been trailing each other as the No. 1 team over recent years. India is currently in the top spot in the WTC standings, while Australia has claimed the second place. Citing this, Khawaja explained that being engaged in such a riveting tussle has intensified the rivalry between India and Australia.

"We’ve been world number one and world number two really over the last two years. We were there at the last World Test Championship together. The rivalry has always been huge," said Khawaja. "I take it as a sign of respect and I know that Indians love beating Australia in any form of cricket. And the tradition that Australia has had over so many years as one of the dominating teams in world cricket has cemented that reputation,” he added.

The 2024/25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy will kick off on November 22 in Perth. The Test series will feature 5 matches this time, in contrast to the 4 Tests played in recent years. India, during their stay of over a month, will tour Brisbane, Adelaide, Sydney, and Melbourne for the BGT, which will conclude in January 2025.