Border Gavaskar Trophy: All-time best XI from IND vs AUS Test series

The Border Gavaskar Trophy is one of the closely contested series in the longest format between India and Australia. The series has been named after charismatic batters, Sunil Gavaskar and Allan Border from India and Australia respectively and is being played with the said name since the 1996-97 series. The most successful team has been India, with nine titles and are the current trophy holders as well with the victory in the 2020/21 series. The 2023 series is all set to start on February 9 in Nagpur. Ahead of the series, let’s check out the all-time Best XI of the Border Gavaskar Trophy: 1. Matthew Hayden Matthew Hayden. (Photo Source: Jamie McDonald/Getty Images) Matthew Hayden brought positive mindset to the dominant Australian team during the early 2000s. Along with the fantastic strokeplay, the southpaw was consistent with his contributions as well. Hayden slammed 1,888 runs in 35 innings at an average of 59. He featured in the red-ball series from 2001 to 2008, and played a key role in 2004/05 and 2007/08 series victories. Hayden's finest knock in the series came in Chennai in March 2001. He slammed 203 off 320 balls, with 15 fours and six maximums. However, India managed to seal a close victory by two wickets. 2. Cheteshwar Pujara Cheteshwar Pujara. (Photo Source: MUNIR UZ ZAMAN/AFP via Getty Images) Often called as the new 'Wall' of the Indian Test setup, Cheteshwar Pujara will play the role of an opener in this XI. Making his debut in 2010 against Australia, the elegant batter has amassed more than 7,000 runs with 19 centuries in the longest format. Pujara has 1,893 runs at an average of 54.08, with 10 fifties and five tons against Australia, which is his most against any team. His best knock came of 204 came in Hyderabad, helping India to win by an innings and 135 runs in 2013. In the 2020/21 series, Pujara displayed his resilience and technique to pave way for the Indian team to seal a historic series victory. His fighting knock of 56 off 211 balls, while enduring multiple body blows to breach the Fort Gabba, ended Australia's unbeaten record in 32 years. 3. Ricky Ponting (c) Ricky Ponting (Photo Source: Twitter) Ricky Ponting is one of the greatest batter Australia has ever produced. Among all the shots in his book, the cover drives and the pull were the crowd favourites. He slammed 13,378 runs in 168 games at an average of 51.85 with 41 centuries in his illustrious career. In the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Ponting slammed 2,555 runs in 29 appearances from 1996 to 2012, with 12 fifties and eight centuries. His best knock of 257 in Melbourne in December 2003 helped Australia to win the game easily. Under the leadership of Ponting, Australia sealed the series 2-1 in 2003/04, which was played in India. Interestingly, none of the Australian teams have come close to securing a series win in India since then. 4. Sachin Tendulkar Sachin Tendulkar (Photo Source: Getty Images) The epitome of class and consistency, Sachin Tendulkar is arguably India's most celebrated batter across Tests and ODIs. He mustered 15,921 runs in 200 Tests at an average of 53.78, with 51 hundreds. Tendulkar is also the best batter by a margin in the Border Gavaskar trophy. He compiled 3,262 runs in 34 Tests at a prolific average of 56.24, with 16 fifties and nine centuries. Also, he featured in the most Border-Gavaskar series (11). The little master slammed his best knock of 241* against his favourite team in Sydney in 2004. His knock helped the Indian team to put up a mammoth score of 705 on the board, which ranks fourth on the list of their highest scores in Tests. 5. Steve Smith Steve Smith. (Photo Source: James Worsfold/Getty Images) A player who started his career with leg-spin has made it big with his exploits with the bat. Steve Smith made his debut in 2010 and has already scored over 8,600 runs in 92 Test matches at an impeccable average of 60.89, with 37 fifties and 30 tons. In terms of bilateral records, Smith garnered 1,742 runs in 28 innings, with eight tons and five fifties. The stats does show his ability to convert starts into three-figure scores. In the Boxing day Test fixture in Melbourne, the 33-year-old registered his best knock of 192, with 15 fours and two sixes. He will be key to Australia's plans in 2023 as well. 6. VVS Laxman VVS Laxman. (Photo Source: Twitter) VVS Laxman's knocks against the dominant Australian team in the early 2000s helped him to be called as a clutch player for the Indian team. The right-hander made his debut in 1998 and garnered 8,781 runs in 134 games with 17 centuries. In the Border Gavaskar series, Laxman was sensational with 2,434 runs in 29 games, with 12 fifties and six tons. He is ranked third on the batting charts and was part of the series from 1998 to 2012. Laxman's most memorable knock of 281 came in Kolkata in 2001 which was a career-defining innings for him. Also his 303-run stand with Rahul Dravid in Adelaide in 2003 still gives goosebumps to Indian cricket fans. 7. Ravindra Jadeja Ravindra Jadeja. (Photo Source: Twitter) Since making his debut, Ravindra Jadeja has been a consistent performer in both departments. His efforts in fielding had also been a revelation in his younger days, which helped improve the stature of the Indian team in this department. Due to his ability to contribute to the team irrespective of the conditions, Jadeja finds himself a place in this XI as an all-rounder. In the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the southpaw has bagged 63 wickets and garnered 387 runs. He has an average of 18.85, which is the best by the top five wicket-takers in the BGT. In the 2017 Test series, the talented all-rounder picked his best figures of 6/63 in Bengaluru. It will be interesting to see if Jadeja can be as consistent upon his return to the team after the injury. 8. Nathan Lyon Nathan Lyon (Photo Source: Twitter) Nathan Lyon is the ever-reliable wicket-taker for the Australian red-ball team since making his debut in 2011. With 460 wickets in 115 games, Lyon is already the most successful Australian spinner till date. In the BGT, he has scalped 94 wickets in 22 games, while only being a part of the series since 2011. He ranks third on the list only behind Anil Kumble (111) and Harbhajan Singh (95). Lyon's best figures of 8/50 came in Bengaluru in 2017. The 35-year-old is likely to become the leading bowler in bilateral contests after the conclusion of the series. 9. Anil Kumble Anil Kumble (Photo Source: Twitter) Anil Kumble is the finest Indian bowler across Tests and ODIs. With 619 wickets in 132 red-ball games, Jumbo will certainly go down as the leading Indian bowler in this format in the coming decades. In the BGT as well, Kumble tops the bowling charts with 111 wickets in 20 games from 1996 to 2008. All through these years, the flipper specialist displayed his ability to pick wickets in crunch situations. Kumble’s best performance in BGT came in Sydney in 2004, when he finished with figures of 8/141. Although his records were far from being broken, Lyon is looking strong to beat him in a month’s time. 10. Zaheer Khan Zaheer Khan. (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images) Amid the scarcity of a left-arm pacer, Zaheer Khan showed promise to the Indian team across all formats with his exceptional skills. He finished with 311 wickets in 92 Test matches with 11 five-wicket hauls. Zaheer is ranked sixth in the BGT bowling charts with 61 scalps in 19 appearances at an average of 35.39, He featured in the bilateral contests from 2001 to 2012. The talented pacer finished with 5/91 in Bengaluru in 2008, which is his best performance against Australia in Test innings. Interestingly, he is the finest pacer among both teams in terms of wickets. 11. Glenn McGrath Glenn McGrath and Ricky Ponting. (Photo Source: Getty Images) The pacer with the ability to land balls in the right areas with consistency, Glenn McGrath bagged 563 wickets in 124 games at a prolific average of 21.64, with 29 five-wicket hauls. McGrath registered 51 wickets in 11 games during his stint in the BGT from 1996 to 2004. Along with Brett Lee, McGrath made sure the Indian batters stay quiet with them being at their best. The right arm pacer’s best performance of 5/48 came in January 2000 in Sydney. Also, he followed it up with figures of 5/55 in the second innings, and was named Player of the Match.

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Border Gavaskar Trophy: All-time best XI from IND vs AUS Test series

Four players among the current lot have made it to the XI.

3. Ricky Ponting (c)

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