India vs Australia Test Rivalry: Border-Gavaskar Era Head-to-Head

If the WTC 2025-27 cycle ends in an India-Australia final at Lord's in June 2027, it will be the most-watched Test match outside of an Ashes since the 2003 World Cup final between the same two countries. The Border-Gavaskar rivalry has spent the last fifteen years sitting just outside the Ashes orbit, but the recent series — and the broadcast economics behind them — have changed that maths.

This is the head-to-head a Test fan in Mumbai, Melbourne or Manchester actually wants: what the rivalry looks like in the BGT era, who has won what, who the players to watch are now, and whether an India-Australia final at Lord's is a realistic path through the WTC 2025-27 cycle.

A practical note. As of May 2026, Australia tops the WTC 2025-27 standings on 100% PCT, with India sixth. The two sides are not currently odds-on to meet in the final — but the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2026-27 series, set to be played in India in early 2027, will go a long way to determining whether they end up at Lord's together.

The Border-Gavaskar Trophy: a quick framing

The Border-Gavaskar Trophy is the bilateral Test prize contested between India and Australia, named after Sunil Gavaskar (India) and Allan Border (Australia). The rivalry was inaugurated in 1996 and has since become the most consistently-watched cricket bilateral outside of the Ashes.

Across the BGT era from 1996 to the most recent series, India has held the trophy more often than not, in large part because of dominance at home. But Australia's 3-1 series win in 2024-25 — their first BGT win since 2014-15 — broke a decade of Indian retention and reset the rivalry going into the WTC 2025-27 cycle, per ESPNcricinfo's BGT 2024-25 series page.

The 2024-25 series in full

The five-Test 2024-25 series in Australia was the watershed BGT contest of recent years and remains the single most important data point for any India-Australia analysis through 2026.

Test	Venue	Result
1st	Perth	India won by 295 runs
2nd	Adelaide (D/N)	Australia won by 10 wickets
3rd	Brisbane	Match drawn
4th	Melbourne	Australia won by 184 runs
5th	Sydney	Australia won by 6 wickets

India started with one of their most dominant overseas Test wins in years, then ran into Australia's pace bowling under floodlights at Adelaide and never recovered. Jasprit Bumrah was named Player of the Series, per BCCI's official BGT 2024-25 page, but he could not single-handedly arrest the slide once Australia's seam attack found rhythm. The series was also the last Test series for Ravichandran Ashwin, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli before their respective Test retirements — a generational shift on the Indian side that has shaped the WTC 2025-27 cycle materially.

For the broader Test rivalry context, see our most runs in international cricket all formats reference page, where Kohli, Sharma and the other modern greats are tracked across formats.

The five eras of Border-Gavaskar (BGT)

The BGT can be split into roughly five distinct eras since 1996:

1. 1996-2001 — establishment. Both sides finding the rivalry's identity. India winning at home, Australia winning at home.
2. 2001-2008 — peak Ganguly-Dravid-Tendulkar era. India's first overseas BGT win in 2003-04, the famous Sydney 2008 series, and the rivalry settling into the calendar's blue-ribbon Test fixture.
3. 2008-2017 — transition. Australia's slow generational change post-McGrath/Warne, India consolidating at home.
4. 2017-2023 — Indian dominance. India wins consecutive series in Australia in 2018-19 and 2020-21 (the Gabba miracle), plus the home series win in 2023.
5. 2023-present — Australia's reclamation. The 4-1 home series win in 2023-24 (technically a previous WTC cycle), the 2024-25 home series 3-1, and the looming 2026-27 home series.

The pattern across all five eras is consistent: the side hosting wins more often than not. India's away wins in 2018-19 and 2020-21 are the historical exceptions, not the rule.

Players to watch in the next India-Australia Test contest

If India and Australia meet again — at Lord's in June 2027 or in the home Border-Gavaskar series in late 2026 — these are the players whose form will define the result.

India's frontline

• Jasprit Bumrah — Player of the Series in 2024-25. Workload management remains the BCCI's central concern; per the audit notes from May 2026, his playing schedule is being skewed toward ODI commitments ahead of the 2027 50-over World Cup. His availability for any single Test is the swing factor.
• Shubman Gill — now Test captain after the post-2025 transition. Gill's form in 2025-26 international Tests has been the central question; a return to his 2020-21 BGT form would shift the rivalry materially.
• Ravindra Jadeja — the all-rounder fulcrum. As good a Test cricketer as India has had outside of the top order in years.

Australia's frontline

• Pat Cummins — Test captaincy and lead-bowler responsibilities. Cummins is currently working back from a lumbar stress fracture sustained during IPL 2026, which casts doubt on his availability for the early Tests of any 2026-27 series and needs to be tracked into late spring.
• Marnus Labuschagne — the rivalry's most consistent batter on either side over the last six years. His form will define Australia's first-innings totals.
• Mitchell Starc — left-arm pace, Pavilion-end weapon at Lord's. If a final at Lord's materialises, Starc is the bowler India's openers will most fear.

Could it actually be India-Australia at Lord's in 2027?

The pure PCT maths as of May 2026:

• Australia is the clear favourite to top the table. A 100% PCT through six matches is essentially a one-team race for first place absent significant injury or scheduling collapse.
• India is sixth on roughly 58% PCT. To climb to second place, India needs to win at least three of its remaining series at a high margin, including the home WI tour and the away Border-Gavaskar.
• The other realistic second-place contenders are New Zealand (~78% PCT, but small sample) and South Africa (~75% PCT, defending champions).

The likeliest 2027 final pairing on current form is Australia-South Africa or Australia-New Zealand. India-Australia is a possible, not a probable, outcome — but the home BGT 2026-27 series is the gateway through which India would have to climb.

How an India-Australia Lord's final would actually look

If it does land:

• Toss matters more than usual. Lord's in June rewards the team that bowls first on a green strip. India would prefer to bat first; Australia would prefer to bowl first.
• Australia's pace battery vs India's middle order is the contest. Cummins-Starc-Hazlewood (assuming all fit) against Pant-Iyer-Jurel-Jadeja is the matchup that decides the first innings.
• India's spin advantage matters less at Lord's than at home. Jadeja and Kuldeep would still play, but the surface in June will not produce the turn India is used to manufacturing.

For more context on the rivalry's broader history, see our complete reference work on most runs in Test cricket all-time where Border-Gavaskar batters from both sides feature heavily.

FAQ

Who currently holds the Border-Gavaskar Trophy?

Australia holds the trophy after their 3-1 series win in the 2024-25 home series, their first BGT win since 2014-15. The next series — Border-Gavaskar 2026-27 in Australia — will be the next contest for the trophy.

What was the result of the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy?

Australia won 3-1 with one match drawn. India won the first Test at Perth by 295 runs, then lost three of the next four matches as Australia's pace attack found rhythm.

Will India and Australia meet in the WTC Final at Lord's in 2027?

It is possible but not yet probable. As of May 2026, Australia tops the WTC 2025-27 standings on 100% PCT, while India sits sixth. India would need to win the bulk of their remaining series to climb into the top two.

Who was the player of the series in BGT 2024-25?

Jasprit Bumrah, India's senior fast bowler, was named Player of the Series despite his side losing 3-1.

When is the next Border-Gavaskar Trophy series?

The next BGT is scheduled for late 2026 to early 2027 in Australia, as part of Australia's home summer schedule. It will be a key series for both sides' WTC 2025-27 qualification.

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— James Whitfield, CricJosh UK & County correspondent. May 2026.