India has made it official that the prestigious Border-Gavaskar Trophy will stay on Indian soil after registering a 2-1 victory to clinch their fourth successive series win against the Mighty Aussies. The Fourth Test saw a run-galore at Narendra Modi Stadium where the bowling units of both sides could manage to fetch a combined tally of only 22 wickets over the course of five playing days.
A drawn outcome in the final fixture brought an end to the courageous fightback of the visitors as the Men in Blue continue to thrive on their 18-year-old unbeaten record against Australia at home.
It was an entertaining bilateral contest between the two highest-ranked red-ball nations where we witnessed spin supremacy and shattered batting records in the same series. The BGT 2023 turned out to be career-defining for many players who were toiling hard for participation and eventually got the expected results of their diligent efforts.
Hence, ‘Parimatch News‘ brings you the list of five players with the most impressive individual campaign in the 2023 edition of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
#5 Nathan Lyon (Australia)
It was another fine individual campaign on Indian soil for the veteran off-spinner who also joined the club of elite foreign bowlers who completed 50 test wickets in this country. However, the 35-year-old still fell short of his ultimate aim of guiding the Kangaroos towards an emphatic away series win over the Men in Blues.
Lyon jointly finished second in the wicket-taking charts along with Ravindra Jadeja after scalping a whopping tally of 22 wickets from just four games. After being able to bag only a solitary wicket from the opening fixture, he bounced back with a 5-fer in the second innings of the following game and then registered a historic eight-wicket haul to emerge victorious in the Indore Test.
His prowess of striking 11 wickets at Holkar Cricket Stadium earned him the honor of Player of the Match and he eventually became the only visiting player to do so. Garry also bagged another record under his helm as his 70-run partnership with Todd Murphy became the highest one for the ninth wicket at Ahmedabad Arena.
#4 Virat Kohli (India)
A moment in this BGT made an entire nation emotional when the ‘King Kohli’ raised his willow upon the sky to celebrate his 28th ton in the red-ball format. It was a special moment for the fans of Indian cricket as the ‘Modern Master’ brought up his century in Whites after an awaited halt of exactly 3 years, 3 months and 15 days.
The 34-year-old superstar batter did not have a good start to the series after managing to cross the individual mark of 25 runs only once in the first six innings. However, Kohli sorted things out in his final batting appearance with an unforgettable stand of 186 runs off 364 balls to end up as the second-highest run-getter of the series.
Kohli’s incredible innings had a lion’s share in India taking a first-inning lead of 91 runs as he stood on the crease for more than 116 overs and only left the battlefield when the Indian innings got over. He was later conferred with the Player of the Match honor which marked his 63rd individual excellence award across all formats of international cricket.
#3 Usman Khawaja (Australia)
Pilot Khawaja landed his aircraft at Ahmedabad in full swing
Another star batter who was eyeing this Border-Gavaskar Trophy for a long time and Khawaja finally got the opportunity to rock test cricket’s one of the fiercest bilateral saga. The Pakistan-born Australian batter initially faced difficulties to get visa approval from the Indian high commission which caused him to join the Aussie roster a day later than planned.
Despite so many high-profile batters from both sides featuring in the BGT battlefield, it was Khawaja who turned the odds to emerge as the top-scorer of the series. The 36-year-old fetched an angel-number tally of 333 runs from seven innings at an astonishing average of 47.57 which was also the highest among the visiting batters who played three or more games.
His most notable performance came in the first innings of the Ahmedabad Test where his unforgettable stand of 180 runs played a pivotal role in setting the humongous total of 480. A catch attempt on the boundary line during the following innings forced Khawaja to rule out from the remaining play; however, the leg injury could not intrude the high spirits of the Aussies on the final day.
#2 Ravindra Jadeja (India)
The Jamnagar-based all-rounder returned to international cricket after missing out on some major events like the T20 World Cup in such a thumping way that it seemed like he hadn’t taken any break for five months all along. He claimed a five-wicket haul on the very first day of the Nagpur Test and then went on to add two more wickets in the second innings to make his returning game a memorable one.
Jadeja also showcased his mastery with the willow in the same game and played a robust knock of 70 runs off 185 balls on the solitary occasion when the Men in Blue came out to bat. He then went on to bag a seven-wicket haul in the third innings of the Delhi Test to set up a stepping stone for the home team to register a convincing win at the national capital.
He clinched Player of the Match awards in the first two fixtures owing to his remarkable prowess in each and every department of the game. The 34-year-old lost his rhythm midway through the series and could not replicate the same performance in the following two fixtures.
#1 Ravichandran Ashwin (India)
The Brothers of Destruction acted in tandem to destroy Australia’s hopes of winning the series
The 36-year-old veteran is widely regarded as the most dangerous knight whenever a red-ball cricket competition is taking place in Indian conditions. He turned the beast mode on right from the opening day and eventually climbed up the mountain of Aussie wickets to finish as the highest wicket-taker of the BGT for the second time in his career.
Ashwin reunited with his favorite partner Jadeja and joined hands with him for the destruction of the Kangaroo batting lineup as the duo had a combined contribution of 31 out of 40 wickets in the first two games. After missing out on his first attempts, Ravi finally got his well-deserved 5-fer in the final innings of the Nagpur Test playing an instrumental role in Australia’s debacle of an innings and 32 runs.
When every hunting wizard was struggling on the Ahmedabad pitch, Ashwin still managed to deliver a significant performance with his bowling figures of 6 for 92. Despite not being able to win the Player of the Match award even once, ‘Ash-Anna’ still ended up being the joint winner of the Player of the Series honor for his collective efforts.