Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25: Combined Australia-India XI

Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25: Combined Australia-India XI

Australia regained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy by beating India 3-1 in the five-match series. The host clinched the series after beating India by six wickets at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Sunday.

Over the two months, there have been several standout performances from both sides, resulting in a thrilling series.

Sportstar looks at the combined XI involving both Australia and India from the recently concluded series

Jaiswal recovered from a first innings duck in Perth to register a match-defining 161 in the second dig, which set India up for a famous win. After a lean run in Adelaide and Brisbane, the 24-year-old scored twin fifties in Melbourne in a losing effort. Jaiswal finished as India’s leading scorer with 391 runs at 43.44.

Rahul, who was not locked in for a starting berth before the start of the series, proved undroppable after his 26 and 77 in Perth while opening the batting with Jaiswal. The 32-year-old was moved to number three in Melbourne before he returned to the opening slot in Sydney. Rahul was among the only two top-order Indian batters to have batted over 500 deliveries in the series. Rahul was the fifth-highest scorer overall with 276 runs.

On the back of a poor over 2023 and 2024, Labuschagne seemed set for the axe after his twin failures in Perth. But the Aussie no. 3 batter ground it out over the next four Tests and played a pivotal role in the series win. His 64 in Adelaide set up a thumping victory before he scored a 72 and 70 in the win in Melbourne. He chewed up 502 balls in the last four Tests, creating a platform for both Steve Smith and Travis Head to cash in.

Another underfire Aussie batter, Smith showed his class with big centuries in Brisbane and Melbourne. After an even first day in Melbourne, Smith scored a brilliant 140 with the lower order for company to take Australia to a big total. Smith finished the series as the third-highest scorer with 314 runs.

Travis Head, once again, proved to be a thorn for the visiting Indian side. He found some form in the second innings in Perth with an 89 before his blistering 140 and 152 in Adelaide and Brisbane. India did well to keep him quiet in the final two Tests. Head was the leading run-getter with 448 runs at a strike rate of 92.56.

While Pant didn’t have a similar impact with the bat as he did in 2020-21, he had several starts with the bat without making big scores. His shot selections in Melbourne came under the scanner but he brought out his biligerent best in the second innings in Sydney with a 33-ball 61 to offer India some hope. Pant was solid behind the stumps with 25 catches.

Nitish Kumar Reddy was the biggest find for India with both bat and ball in what was his maiden Test series. His 41 and 38 in Perth were key to India’s only win in Perth and continued to get starts before he scored a brilliant 100 in Melbourne. He was the fourth highest-scorer with 298 runs and also chipped in with five wickets.

Cummins led Australia to a series win with a workhorse-like performance. He bowled the most number of overs (167) and was Australia’s leading wicket-taker with 25 scalps. He showed his value with the bat too in Melbourne scoring 49 and 41, while claiming six wickets.

Starc’s fiery starts helped Australia recover after the Perth debacle when he ripped through India’s line-up in Adelaide. His six-for set up Australia to get a big lead in the opening innings. He removed the dangerous Jaiswal cheaply in Adelaide and Brisbane to push India on the backfoot early in the contests.

Boland, who came in as a replacement, was near-unplayable for the Indian batters. The right-arm pacer accounted for Kohli four times this series in six innings, while claiming 21 wickets at 13.19. In the Sydney Test, Boland recorded 10 wickets to claim the player-of-the-match award.

Bumrah produced one of the greatest individual performances in a series by keeping India interested over the last two months. While he claimed 32 wickets — -joint-most for a bowler in a Border-Gavaskar Trophy series — his heroics lacked sustained support from the batters and bowlers. Barring an injury on the final two days in Sydney, the series would have got a grand-stand finish with Bumrah steaming in to defend India’s total of 161.