From Virat Kohli’s 186 to India qualifying for the WTC final: Here are the key highlights from the Border Gavaskar Trophy

The Border-Gavaskar Trophy concluded with a draw in the 4th Test as India managed to walk away with the bragging rights of the series after securing an early lead of 2-0 that was later halved and eventually ended on a 2-1 note as the two juggernauts of Test cricket shared the spoils of the series final.

There were a slew of impressive performances spanned across the length of the tournament. As India managed to retain the BGT, here are the highlights of the prized series.

Ravindra Jadeja’s 5 for 47 (1st innings, 1st Test)

It was a return for Ravindra Jadeja after a long hiatus that saw him being out of cricket since the contest against Hong Kong in the 2022 Asia Cup. There were obvious questions about how he was going to get the wheels rolling but the southpaw came hammering all guns blazing as he ran through the Aussie batting order, bagging a fifer in his very first innings since his return, only conceding 47 runs from his 23 overs.

Rohit Sharma returns to centuries, Ravindra Jadeja shines with the bat and Axar Patel upholds himself as a batter (2nd innings, 1st Test)

As India walked out to bat, the captain seemed to be in menacing touch, dishing out a crucial 120, leading the innings from the front where the other Indian batters struggled to get themselves well placed in the stride. With Todd Murphy giving the ball a lot of turn, it needed a special display of resilience from Ravindra Jadeja with a well-placed 70, underlining his all-round prowess to help India stabilize the Indian ship. After Jadeja and Rohit Sharma had their say with the batting flair, it was a knock of crucial importance from Axar Patel as he smashed 84 to help India propel themselves to 400 in the first innings.

Ravichandran Ashwin – 5 for 37 (3rd innings, 1st Test)

The iconic Indian off-spinner, Ravichandran Ashwin ran through the Aussies in their second innings as no batter could crack open the mystery web that was knitted together by Ashwin, claiming five crucial scalps that also helped India on their way to a humdinger win.

Axar Patel – 74 (2nd innings, 2nd Test)

When the Indian batters struggled against the Australian spinning trio of Matthew Kuhnemann, Nathan Lyon and Todd Murphy, Axar Patel came in with another match-saving knock, fighting alongside a resilient Ravichandran Ashwin as the duo posted a crucial 114 runs partnership for the 8th wicket. Axar Patel was the wrecker-in-chief of the Aussie bowling as he hammered an all-important 74 to help India get in close contention of Australia’s first innings total of 262.

Ravindra Jadeja – 7 for 42 (3rd innings, 2nd Test)

After India was skittled out in their first innings, Australia started on a pompous note despite losing Usman Khawaja early. However, the following day brought upon them a catastrophe like never before as Ravindra Jadeja conjured another masterclass with the ball, bagging 7 wickets in a span of just 119 minutes, skittling out Australia for a paltry 113.

Cheteshwar Pujara – 59 (3rd innings, 3rd Test)

Basically, the 3rd contest of the series was overwhelmingly in favour of the Aussies and there were no significant Indian performances that deserved mention. But out of all the staggering odds, it was India’s iconic No.3, Cheteshwar Pujara who managed to brave a mighty Australian bowling unit with a dogged 59, which was also instrumental in helping India pile crucial numbers on the card.

Ravichandran Ashwin – 6 for 91 (1st innings, 4th Test)

India had a tough time navigating through the flatter tracks of the Narendra Modi Stadium as Australia rode on centuries from Usman Khwaja and Cameron Green. However, the only Indian bowler who made an impact was none other than Ashwin, as he claimed 6 crucial wickets, allowing India ample batting time to secure a lead in the first innings.

Virat Kohli shines with the bat, Shubman Gill plays the perfect two to tango and Axar Patel blitzes again (2nd innings, 4th Test)

Virat Kohli finally got rid of the monkey on his back as he got a Test century after 3 staggering years that also saw him smashing a well-constructed 186 before he would finally run short of partners. Shubman Gill got India the all-important start, showcasing class against the blend of Australian pace and spin. Axar Patel came out firing on all cylinders towards the end as he whacked around a crucial 79 to help India pile up 571 on the cards.

India qualified for the WTC final

After much speculation and debates, eventually, India overcame it all as they booked a date with Australia for the WTC final at Oval that will be played from 7th June, thanks to a nail-biting victory for New Zealand that arrived on the final ball of the first Test against Sri Lanka in Christchurch.