Even though some players have come close, it still seems some of the significant records in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy are likely to remain intact for a long time
The first game of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, played in Perth between India and Australia, was a cracking affair, as several team and individual records were broken. However, the historic tournament has a plethora of long-standing records, which we feel are likely to remain intact for a long time. Yes, multiple players have come close, but we still believe breaking some records would be pretty challenging in the next few months or even years.
Between 1996 and 2013, Tendulkar played 34 BGT games to script the highest runs in the BGT series, i.e., 3,262 runs. Among active players, Virat Kohli is the closest with 2,084 runs, and he has already equalled Tendulkar’s nine centuries in the series. However, Kohli, in recent times, has struggled with the bat in Tests. Indeed, he scored a 100 in Perth, but that doesn’t guarantee consistency. Not to mention, he is already 36, and the growing age could slow him further down.
In the tourney’s history, the highest score belongs to Michael Clarke. In 2012, he played an innings of 329 runs not out against India in Sydney. The closest somebody came to him was VVS Laxman with his 281. In fact, no active player has been able to cross the 250-run mark. Given how steep the target of 329 is, we don’t think anybody could break or surpass it anytime soon.
When it comes to the most wickets taken in the series’ history, Nathan Lyon leads the way with 118 wickets. Ravichandran Ashwin is in the second spot, but unfortunately, he is on the sidelines, whereas Lyon is still on the Australian side. Therefore, Lyon has a chance to increase his tally, whereas given Ashwin’s recent lean phase and his age, it seems the record could get away from him. Apart from Ashwin, no other active cricketer has reached even 60 wickets in the series’ history, so it could be said that Lyon’s record is likely to remain safe.
Harbhajan Singh owns the most 10-wicket haul, i.e., a total of three in the BGT series, whereas Anil Kumble retired with two. Among active players, Nathan Lyon also has two, but given his age, we do not believe he can pick up another 10-wicket haul against an Indian side. He may grab a few wickets here and there, but a 10-wicket haul is unlikely to be achieved by him, at least in the ongoing 2024/25 BGT series.
India’s former World Cup-winning captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni holds the record for winning the most matches in the BGT series, i.e., 13 between 2008 and 2014. When it comes to active captains from Australia and India, Rohit Sharma and Pat Cummins are both way behind with four and three wins, respectively. For Rohit Sharma, who is 37, it could be tough to break Dhoni’s record, whereas Pat Cummins, who is 31, could do it, but he will have to perform strongly enough to keep his captaincy intact. In short, another BGT record that we feel won’t be broken anytime soon.
