India-Australia rivalry is bigger than the Ashes: Australian PM Anthony Albanese

The Ashes rivalry between England and Australia is considered the biggest in the game of cricket. However, in recent years, the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT 2024-25), which is contested between India and Australia, has grabbed a lot of eyeballs, especially with the Men in Blue getting the better of the Baggy Greens in the last four series they played against each other.

Australia Prime Minister Anthony Albanese went on to call the India versus Australia rivalry bigger than the Ashes. Notably, India and Australia are currently facing each other in a five-match Test series for the first time since 1992. The Asian giants are leading the series 1-0 after winning the first Test at the Optus Stadium in Perth by 295 runs.

“I think it is now, the population, if you look at the IPL is just such a huge part of global cricket now. Prime Minister Modi, there I was there at Narendra Modi stadium there in Ahmedabad for the test match and the crowd was enormous. Of course, it seats more people than any ground in the world and they're so passionate,” said Albanese when asked about the comparison between the Ashes and Border-Gavaskar rivalries on Fox Sports.

Further speaking ahead, he asserted that the five-match Test series has added more intensity to the rivalry between the two sides. The 61-year-old feels that the Boxing Day Test at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground is going to spectacular affair.

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“And of course, we played the final at the international cricket series (World Test Championship) was played in the in London. And we were successful there, but the series, there's a real rivalry and now I would suggest even more. It used to happen sometimes just a three-test series. It's going to be Boxing Day will be huge on December 26 I think, you know, they could get the 100,000 people there and it's great for Australian tourism as well,” he added.

PM Albese hosted Indian team in Canberra

Recently, the Indian contingent was hosted by Albanese in Canberra ahead of their two-day warm-up game against the Prime Minister’s XI. The Australian Prime Minister engaged in light-hearted conversations with the players and shared the photographs of the meeting on his X account. He also congratulated Virat Kohli on his 81st century in international cricket, which the former India skipper registered in the second innings of the first Test.