Border-Gavaskar Trophy is equivalent to the Ashes, claims Steve Waugh
Waugh has compared India vs Australia to the Ashes
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Former Aussie skipper Steve Waugh, who played a significant number of Tests against both India and England, feels that the Border-Gavaskar Trophy held between India and Australia is equivalent to the Ashes. Incidentally, Waugh’s last Test appearance came in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2004.
Starting from the Perth and Sydney Tests in 2008 to the Mohali Test in 2010 to more recently, the Adelaide and Bangalore Tests in 2014 and 2017, the Border-Gavaskar Trophy played between India and Australia, over the course of the last 12 years, has given the fans some of the best and the most memorable games seen in the sport. The emergence of India as a superpower in international cricket has also seen the rivalry between these two sides grow ginormously, to the extent that an India-Australia clash in Test cricket is now seen as some kind of a ‘Champion vs Champion’ all-star clash.
And no one knows the significance of India-Australia clashes better than former Aussie skipper Steve Waugh, who featured in no less than 18 Tests against the team from the subcontinent. Speaking of the cricketing rivalry between the two nations, Waugh claimed that the Border-Gavaskar Trophy can now be considered as big as the Ashes.
"The Border-Gavaskar trophy is equivalent to the Ashes. It shows the growing competition between the two countries. Tied Test (1986) is the greatest game I have ever played. Kolkata Test (2001) loss was memorable," Waugh said in a virtual interaction while participating in India Global Week 2020, reported TOI.
The 55-year-old, who has spent a large chunk of his time in recent times travelling around India, also interestingly revealed that he is planning to release a book surrounding why the sport of cricket is a religion in India. Waugh attested that through his book, he wanted to ‘surprise’ people by showcasing the true beauty and diversity of the nation and added that he was on the final stages of finalizing the book.
"India was interesting....I couldn't stop looking out of the window. India was fascinating and I began to fall in love with the place. Great connections through cricket.
"Producing this book could bring India and Australia together. We are about to finalise the book....You see amazing things about India, its diversity and passion for cricket. I want to produce a book that will surprise people about India - through pictures - showcase India, and that's my latest project, trying to capture why cricket is a religion in India," he said.
Waugh was a batting consultant for the Australian side that retained the Ashes on English soil in the summer of 2019. It remains to be seen whether the Kangaroos will once again summon him for help when they lock horns with India in a four-Test series starting December.
