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Ahead of the BGT 2024/25 opener in Perth, the Aussie media had written off any chances of an Indian win, but the tourists flipped the script with a solid showing to beat Australian convincingly. Gavaskar drew parallels with the zeitgeist prevalent in Australia back in…Read More
Sunil Gavaskar. (Picture Credit: AFP)
India’s 295-run win at Perth to take a 1-0 series lead over Australia in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy was indeed a statement performance from the touring side, who were rubbished ahead of the tour following a 0-3 drubbing at home against travelling Kiwis.
The odds were stacked so overwhelmingly against the Indian side that it reminded legendary batter Sunil Gavaskar of the scaremongering the Australian media resorted to back in the year 2007.
“What a splendid win, one of the best I have been privileged to be present at,” Gavaskar said.
The Aussie media had written off any chances of an Indian win, but the tourists flipped the script with a solid showing as they beat the Australian unit to inch ahead in the five-match series.
“All the boasts about how the pitch is going to be pacy and bouncy and scare the living daylights out of the Indian batters were exactly that — the boasts of a bully,” the little master explained.
“Mind you, it wasn’t the Aussie players but their support staff in the media, both electronic and print, who were trying to be scaremongers,” he continued.
Gavaskar drew parallels with the zeitgeist prevalent in Australia following the infamous ‘Monkey Gate’, after which the Aussies sought to scare the spirit off the visitors.
“It was very similar to 2007/8 after the kerfuffle between Harbhajan Singh and Andrew Symonds in the Sydney Test match,” Gavaskar reflected.
“The Australian selectors had added Shaun Tait to the Aussie squad for the next Test match in Perth, and the media were going nuts, suggesting he was going to blow the Indians away on the fast, bouncy WACA pitch in Perth,” Gavaskar continued.
However, what transpired was something contrary to media disclaimers as India clinched a 72-run win riding on characteristic performances from Rahul Dravid and Virender Sehwag.
“What happened? ‘The Wall’ was so solid, but before that, the swashbuckling Virender Sehwag had just swatted Brett Lee, Tait, and the others as if he was swatting the famous Perth flies,” the 75-year-old said.
“He singled out Tait for special attention as if to rubbish the Aussie media claims about the pacers scaring the Indian batters,” he reminisced.
“At the end of the Test match, guess what happened? Tait took an indefinite break from international cricket,” Gavaskar recollected.
“The Indians had the last laugh by winning the Test match and, if the umpires had not made some forgettable decisions under pressure from the Aussies in the previous Test match in Sydney, then India would have gone to Adelaide for the final Test of that series with the score 1-all.”
India travel to Adelaide for the second Test of the BGT 2024/25 with a lead working in their favour thanks to their heroics at Perth, which Gavaskar finds meritorious of place in the top outings of the illustrious Indian cricket team.
“This time India goes to Adelaide, having once again proven all the experts wrong in Perth with a performance that can be ranked in the top 10 victories in recent times,” Gavaskar concluded.
