In 1996, the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium in New Delhi, now known as the Arun Jaitley Stadium, hosted a historic Test match that marked the beginning of a legendary rivalry between India and Australia. The match, played as a one-off Test, was the first to be named the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, after Australian legend Allan Border and Indian icon Sunil Gavaskar.
The series featured a plethora of debuts, including Brad Hogg and David Johnson for Australia and Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid for India. However, it was Nayan Mongia who stole the show, scoring a magnificent 152 in his 14th Test for India.
Mongia, who had previously been a middle-order batter, was elevated to the opening slot for this match. He played a gritty innings, batting for over eight hours and facing 366 balls. His century was instrumental in India’s victory, as they chased down Australia’s first-innings total of 182.
The Border-Gavaskar Trophy has since become one of the most prestigious rivalries in Test cricket. The series has been played 15 times, with Australia winning nine and India winning five. The upcoming five-match series, starting on November 22, will be the first time India has played a five-match Test series in Australia since 1991-92.
Former Indian wicketkeeper Nayan Mongia, who played a key role in India’s victory in the inaugural Border-Gavaskar Trophy, believes that the rivalry has grown significantly over the years. “The main rivalry was India-Pakistan that time still. Australia (rivalry) was just growing up,” he said. “Border-Gavaskar Trophy gave a platform to have such a huge rivalry.”
Mongia also expressed his concerns about India’s batting form ahead of the upcoming series. “Playing against Australia in Australia is not going to be easy,” he said. “But we have top-class bowlers as well. We will miss Mohammed Shami, there is no doubt about it. But we have other good bowlers who can step up leading from the front.”
