Phew, what a series it was! The scoreline of 3-1 doesn’t justify how close the Border-Gavaskar Trophy actually was. The outcomes of the all five Tests were decided by some brilliance in odd sessions here and there. Team India dearly missed Jasprit Bumrah on the deciding day of the series as Pat Cummins ticked off his wish to claim the BGT after a decade’s wait. With this, they have successfully qualified to defend their ICC World Test Championship crown at the WTC Final against South Africa.
What was unique about IND vs AUS BGT 2024/25?
Well, this rubber that started from November 24, 2024 has officially breached a long-standing record. The record is of being the shortest five-match Test series in terms of balls bowled in this century. The recently concluded IND vs AUS BGT 2024/25 saw just 7,664 balls bowled in the entire five-match rubber. This is the least a series, with at least five match, series has seen since 1924. We are talking about a 100-year old record!
Well, during the 20th century, pitches weren’t as conducive to batting anyway. The lack of advancements in technology and equipment didn’t allow the pitches to behave a certain way. Had those same surfaces come to use in these days, ICC would surely rate most of them “unsatisfactory,” at least. Nevertheless, the shortest-ever five-match Test series was the 1902 Ashes in England. The series was won by Australia as well by 2-1.
List of shortest Test series (5-match) ft. IND vs AUS
| Series | Year | Balls bowled |
| The Ashes (Australia in England) | 1902 | 6,545 |
| South Africa in England Test Series | 1924 | 7,659 |
| Border-Gavaskar Trophy (India in Australia) | 2024/25 | 7,664 |
| The Wisden Trophy (England in West Indies) | 1985/86 | 7,699 |
| New Zealand in England Test Series | 1958 | 7,785 |
| The Ashes (Australia in England) | 2001 | 7,868 |
| The Ashes (Australia in England) | 2015 | 7,920 |
| The Ashes (Australia in England) | 1921 | 7,971 |
List of shortest-ever five-match Test series in Australia
| Series | Year | Balls bowled |
| Border-Gavaskar Trophy (India in Australia) | 2024/25 | 7,664 |
| West Indies in Australia Test Series | 1930/31 | 8,542 |
| The Ashes (England in Australia) | 2021/22 | 8,731 |
| The Frank Worrell Trophy (West Indies in Australia) | 2000/01 | 9,034 |
| The Frank Worrell Trophy (West Indies in Australia) | 1984/85 | 9,043 |
| The Ashes (England in Australia) | 2013/14 | 9,582 |
| The Frank Worrell Trophy (West Indies in Australia) | 1996/97 | 9,759 |
| India in Australia | 1947/48 | 9,775 |
| The Ashes (England in Australia) | 1998/99 | 9,803 |
| The Ashes (England in Australia) | 1884/85 | 9,870 |
Incredibly, in Australia, this was the shortest-ever five-match Test series, beating the previous record of the Australia vs West Indies series that saw 8,542 balls in 1930/31.
