With unprecedented attendance in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy between India and Australia, former Australia captain Ricky Ponting asserted that it’s hard to argue that the rivalry between the two teams isn’t the biggest in world cricket. Historically, the England-Australia rivalry is seen as the biggest in Test cricket but the attendance record for the five-Test series between India and Australia stood at 8,37,879 with 3,73,691 spectators marking their attendance at Melbourne Cricket Ground across five days, surpassing the previous mark of 3,50,534 set in 1937.
Ponting was stunned by the numbers and said it would be interesting to see the Ashes attendance when England come to get a better idea of the rivalry from the fan’s perspective.
“I had a look at the numbers yesterday, it was something like 837,000 people came to watch the Test matches, which is unheard of here in Australia,” Ponting told The ICC Review. “So now that this series has happened, Australia have England coming out next summer so we’ll get a better idea then. If the numbers aren’t the same, then there’ll be no doubt that the (Border-Gavaskar) rivalry (is bigger), certainly from the fans’ point of view.
“There’s two separate parts to this: There’s what the fans want to see and the rivalry that they want to make of it, but it’s also how the players view the rivalry between the three teams now.”
Remarkably, there was scope for attendance figures to be even bigger, with early finishes and a rainy Brisbane encounter denying a seven-figure mark. “Perth only went four days, Adelaide only went three days, Sydney only went three days. Those numbers would have been astronomical if those Test matches all went five days.
“So exactly this time next year, we’ll have a great idea of the biggest rivalry in world cricket,” Ponting continued.
Former India head coach Ravi Shastri feels that the bar has been raised by the spectators for Test cricket in the modern era in the recently-concluded series that hosts claimed (3-1) for the first time in a decade.
“One stat stands out: 3,75,000 people coming through the gates in that Melbourne Test match, beating the record set 90 years ago of 3,50,000. (In) 1936/1937, when the ‘G’ could hold 120,000 people and when Bradman was playing. It just goes to show the sudden interest in the modern era. The bar has been raised. The bar has been raised big time,” he said.
For Shastri, the narratives and storylines are too good to just watch at home in front of the television and have drawn the public out in force, with many even travelling from overseas to see history unfold in person.
“For people to get out there and watch cricket when there is television, when there are OTT platforms, where all that is there, still for 375,000 people to come (to Melbourne) and then replicate that in Sydney with full houses, it’s unreal,” Shastri added.
Ponting backed up Shastri’s view. “The fans, understanding how good these two cricket teams are, want to be there and want to be part of it and want to see Test Match Cricket at its absolute best,” he said. “Right now, it’s really hard to argue that this isn’t the biggest rivalry in world cricket. It’s grown. Year-on-year, and Ravi (Shastri) and I, have been a part of most of these for the last 15, 20 years. We’ve felt how it’s been growing and growing and the rivalry gets bigger and now the fans are into it as well,” Ponting added.
The final ingredient for Border-Gavaskar series success came through the tug-of-war nature of the series, with Australia coming back from 1-0 down to claim a series victory.
Not only did India harbour hopes of levelling the series to retain the trophy on Day Three in Sydney, but a spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) Final was still within the tourists’ grasp, only for the hosts to hold their nerve in a chase of 162 when Bumrah was unable to bowl.
Ponting praised Australia’s ability to turn things around at the backend.
“When you lose a Test match (in Perth) like that against another very strong opposition side, you do have to do a bit of soul searching and do a lot of talking,” he said. “It’s been a really good turnaround, especially when at the start of the series, I thought Australia would win 3-1, but I actually thought they’d win the early Test matches.
“I thought they’d win Perth, I thought they’d win Brisbane and probably Adelaide and find it harder in Melbourne and Sydney. The conditions that you think India would normally play better in, Australia’s found a way to outplay them in Melbourne and Sydney. It was a really good turnaround and one that they’ll be happy with.”
Shastri, looking at Australia’s success, was lavish in his praise for captain Pat Cummins. “He (Cummins) amazes me. Even when I was the coach in the dressing room, I would just admire his determination, and his willingness to compete. He never gives up and it’s like that session after session – he’ll come at you with the ball,” said the former India coach.
“And just when the chips were down, various times in the series, he rose to the occasion. And not just with the ball, but with the bat as well.”
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