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The India-Australia rivalry has officially reached new heights as the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. attended by a record 837,879 spectators. The five-match Test series between the titans of cricket shattered previous attendance records.
The iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) alone hosted 373,691 fans over five days, surpassing the previous record of 350,534 set in 1937. This surge in attendance speaks volumes for the growing intensity of the India-Australia rivalry and how it has overtaken the traditional England-Australia rivalry in the Ashes. hearts of cricket fans.
The India-Australia rivalry reaches new heights with a record 837,879 spectators at the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Reacting to the figures, former Australia captain Ricky Ponting boldly asserted that it is difficult to argue that the India-Australia rivalry is not now the biggest in world cricket, including the traditional Ashes rivalry. The legendary Australian batsman expressed his surprise at the overwhelming response during BGT 2024-25.
Now, Ricky Ponting wants to see what the attendance will be like for the upcoming Ashes 2025 when England visit Australia for a five-match Test series, because if the crowd numbers aren’t so big, it will be clear that the India-Australia rivalry has surpassed the Ashes, at least from a fans’ perspective. .
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Ricky Ponting was quoted as saying to The ICC Review: “I looked at the numbers yesterday; there were something like 837,000 people who came to watch test matches, which is unheard of here in Australia. So now that this series has happened, Australia have England coming up next summer, so we’ll get a better idea then. If the numbers are not the same, then there is no doubt that the (Border-Gavaskar) rivalry is bigger, certainly from the fans’ point of view.”
Australian legend Ricky Ponting also pointed out that rivalry in cricket is two-fold — there is what fans want to see and fierce competition between teams. He emphasized that it is not just about the number of fans, but also how the players view the rivalry between the top three nations in cricket.
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If the BGT Tests had lasted five days, those numbers would have been astronomical: Ricky Ponting
Ponting signed off by saying: “There are two separate parts to this: There’s what the fans want to see and the rivalry they want to make of it, but it’s also how the players now see the rivalry between the three teams. Perth only traveled for four days, Adelaide only three days and Sydney only three days. Those numbers would have been astronomical if all Test matches had lasted five days. So, right around this time next year, we will have a great idea of the biggest rivalry in world cricket.”
Even former India chief coach Ravi Shastri has praised the growing interest in Test cricket, especially after the recent Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. He highlighted the record attendance at the Melbourne Test, with 375,000 spectators surpassing the 90-year-old record set in 1936/37.
Shastri noted that this rise in attendance shows how much interest has grown in modern Test cricket. He pointed out that the fascinating episodes of Test cricket have drawn fans away from TV and OTT platforms, with many even traveling from abroad to witness the action live.
