Title: Down, but not out: On the Border-Gavaskar Trophy
A decade-long dominance wound to a close at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Sunday. The Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the second-biggest silverware in terms of stature after the Ashes in cricket, and the biggest on the basis of viewership, has been India’s preserve since 2015. Australia last won the title in the 2014-15 home series and after that India claimed the trophy on four occasions. This winning streak ended once the fifth Test concluded at Sydney with Pat Cummins and his men winning by six wickets and seizing the series at 3-1. The margin could hint at a vast gap in ability between the two squads. But it was anything but that and India had its moments and could have finished on the victor’s podium. This was a series where the batters played second fiddle to excellent speedsters. It is no surprise that when Jasprit Bumrah, the most dominant among them, got injured and could not bowl during the Australian second innings chase in the last Test, the host prospered. Bumrah began the series as captain, a position he returned to once the regular skipper, the out-of-form Rohit Sharma, opted out at the climax. And Bumrah, with 32 wickets, led the charts. Again with a resilient bat, he even helped India avoid the follow-on at Brisbane’s Gabba.
A transition is upon the Indian Test unit, especially after failing to qualify for the ICC World Test Championship final. Having eased out Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane and now dealing with R. Ashwin’s retirement mid-series, the selectors and coach Gautam Gambhir need to look at the future of Virat Kohli, Rohit and Ravindra Jadeja. These players were India’s core in Tests, but a change is inevitable. Tours Down Under often force a flux. Dilip Vengsarkar retired after the 1991-92 tour, Rahul Dravid and V.V.S. Laxman followed suit after their 2011-12 visit. In the current sojourn, despite scoring a ton in the first Test at Perth, Kohli’s overall yield of 190 at 23.75 was poor. Rohit’s numbers are even worse as he scored 3, 6, 10, 3 and 9. Yashasvi Jaiswal’s runs, K.L. Rahul’s initial consistency, newcomer Nitish Kumar Reddy’s hundred at Melbourne, and the odd lower-order resistance, bailed out India but that was not enough. India lost due to batting ineptitude, a frailty that affected Australia too before its middle-order found a second-wind through Steve Smith, Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne. Mohammed Siraj toiled hard but beyond him, Bumrah did not have much support from the bowling ranks. This was a series on which Cummins, through 25 wickets and 159 runs, imposed his will. India will need to find younger heroes, especially batters who are adept at playing both spin and pace, at home and abroad, in Tests and limited overs.
Meaning of the word:
| Word | Meaning | Synonyms | Antonyms |
| Preserve | To protect something from decay, damage, or destruction. | Maintain Protect Safeguard Conserve | Destroy Neglect Abandon Harm |
| Inevitable | The term “inevitable” means unavoidable or certain to happen. It refers to something that cannot be prevented or escaped. | Unavoidable Certain Inescapable Fated | Avoidable Uncertain Preventable Doubtful |
| Ineptitude | The term “ineptitude” refers to a lack of skill, ability, or competence in doing something. | Incompetence Clumsiness Inefficiency Unskillfulness | Competence Skill Efficiency Aptitude |
