After Australia completed a 3-1 win over India in the 2024-25 Border Gavaskar Trophy in Sydney on Sunday, controversy followed. The legendary Sunil Gavaskar expressed his displeasure after not being invited to present the trophy, named after him and Allan Border, to Australia following their win over India in the high-voltage five-match rubber. Australia reclaimed the Border-Gavaskar trophy after 10 years with a six-wicket win over India in the fifth and final Test. Border presented the trophy to the home team but Gavaskar, despite being at the venue at the same time, was inexplicably ignored.
“I certainly would have loved to have been there for the presentation. After all it is the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and it is about Australia and India,” Gavaskar was quoted as saying by Code Sports.
“I mean, I am here on the ground. To me it should not matter that Australia won when it comes to the presentation. They played better cricket so they won. That’s fine.
“Just because I am an Indian. I would have been happy to present the trophy with my good friend Allan Border,” he added.
Now, Cricket Australia has been slammed by Michael Clarke, Australia’s 2015 World Cup-winning captain.
“I just think Cricket Australia missed a trick. Now I know a lot of people don’t know that it was planned before the series started, that if India were to win, Sunil Gavaskar would present the trophy. If Australia were to win, Alan Border would present the trophy. So it wasn’t a surprise to those two guys. But to me, it just doesn’t make sense. Like, they’re both there,” Michael Clarke said on ESPN’s Around The Wicket.
“No matter who won, in my opinion, they both should have walked out, they both should have been on stage, they both should have presented the trophy. I think we’re very lucky to have both Allan Border and Sunny Gavaskar in the country commentating at the right time. You don’t get that very often. Both legends of the game that the trophy is named are still around and are in the country at the same time. So I just think we missed a trick there. I think it sounds to me that, you know, it obviously affected, it offended Sunny as well, and I can understand why. I think they both should have been on that stage presenting that trophy no matter who won.”
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