Sunil Gavaskar was notably absent from the podium during the presentation of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy to the victorious Australian team after the five-Test series concluded at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on Sunday, January 5.
Instead, Cricket Australia (CA) invited only Allan Border to hand over the trophy.
Border, 69, a former Australian captain and cricket legend, presented the trophy to Australian skipper Pat Cummins. Meanwhile, Gavaskar, 75, was seen standing near the boundary during the ceremony. Afterward, Gavaskar confirmed, “I was not asked to [make the presentation].”
Australia clinched the series 3-1 with a six-wicket victory in the final Test, regaining the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after 10 years. While CA acknowledged Gavaskar’s absence from the stage was not ideal, they defended their approach.
“We acknowledge it would have been preferable if both AB and Sunil had been asked to go on stage,” CA stated in response to queries.
According to CA, their plan was to invite only one of the two cricketing icons to the presentation, depending on the series outcome.
“If India had won, Sunil would present the trophy, and if Australia won, it would be Allan Border,” a CA official explained.
The Border-Gavaskar Trophy, symbolizing the supremacy of the India-Australia cricket rivalry, was first introduced during the 1996-97 series in India.
Since then, the two nations have contested 17 series under its name, with Australia leading the overall count 13-11, while five series ended in draws. The rivalry began in 1947-48 when the two teams faced off in Australia for the first time.
Notably, in the previous Border-Gavaskar series held in 2023 in India, Sunil Gavaskar presented the trophy to Indian skipper Rohit Sharma in Ahmedabad, as Allan Border was not present in the country at the time.