Record-breaking crowds showed up in almost every Test of the Border-Gavaskar series which again showcased how big the rivalry between India and Australia has become. Following the conclusion of the 5-match series, former Australia captain Ricky Ponting stated that it’s hard to argue that the rivalry between the two teams isn’t the biggest in world cricket.
Attendance record for the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar series stood at 8,37,879 which is incredibly high. The figures left Ponting stunned and he said that it will be interesting to see the attendance for the Ashes which is set to be played next summer.
He added that if the numbers aren’t the same then the Border-Gavaskar trophy is undoubtedly bigger than the Ashes.
“I had a look at the numbers yesterday, it was something like 837,000 people came to watch the Test matches, which is unheard of here in Australia. So now that this series has happened, Australia have England coming out next summer so we’ll get a better idea then. If the numbers aren’t the same, then there’ll be no doubt that the (Border-Gavaskar) rivalry (is bigger), certainly from the fans’ point of view,” Ponting told ICC.
“There’s two separate parts to this: There’s what the fans want to see and the rivalry that they want to make of it, but it’s also how the players view the rivalry between the three teams now,” Ponting added.
Former India head coach and cricketer Ravi Shastri believes that spectators which attended the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar series, set the bar really high in the modern era.
“One stat stands out: 3,75,000 people coming through the gates in that Melbourne Test match, beating the record set 90 years ago of 3,50,000. (In) 1936/1937, when the ‘G’ could hold 120,000 people and when Bradman was playing. It just goes to show the sudden interest in the modern era. The bar has been raised. The bar has been raised big time,” Shastri said.
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