An Indian batting crisis, time for Australians to eat humble pie and the dangerman England must go after in the Ashes: The 10 things we learned from the Border-Gavaskar Trophy
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The Border-Gavaskar Trophy finished on Sunday with a resounding 3-1 win for Australia over India - England's two biggest opponents in 2025. The series has become so hard-fought that many observers now see it as bigger than the Ashes - and the conversations it generates definitely rival, if not surpass, the frenzy of the oldest match-up in Test cricket.
![[Pat Cummins' side have all but confirmed their place in the World Test Championship final]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/07/11/93820747-14258291-image-a-4_1736248058810.jpg)
India had seemed poised for yet another famous win on Aussie soil after their first Test victory in Perth but Pat Cummins' side roared back and took advantage of some tepid batting from the tourists to cement their place as the world's best Test team - and all-but guarantee a spot in the World Test Championship final in June at Lord's.
![[Nearly 850,000 spectators turned up for the five Tests across the series held in Australia]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/07/11/93820811-14258291-image-a-5_1736248116076.jpg)
But what have we learned from one of the most memorable Test series in recent times? Mail Sport pinpoints 10 lessons. 1. These days, Australia v India is about more than cricket. It is about big business: nearly 850,000 spectators turned up for the five Tests.
![[India will never reach their potential while they are holding their older icons on a pedestal (pictured: Virat Kohli, left, and Rohit Sharma, right)]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/07/11/93820833-14258291-image-a-6_1736248164147.jpg)
Australia roared back from 1-0 down to seal an enthralling 3-1 Border-Gavaskar Trophy win. Pat Cummins' side have all but confirmed their place in the World Test Championship final. And it is about big egos, a clash between the sport’s traditional giants and its economic powerhouse; the on-field aggro was inevitable.
![[Rishabh Pant is one of only five players whose names can be inked with any confidence for the series opener with England this summer]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/07/11/93822111-14258291-image-a-8_1736249040942.jpg)
The BGT also oils the wheels of social media. Witness the bickering between the two sets of supporters (though Indian fans really need to come up with an insult that doesn’t include sandpaper). Above all, it confirms the pre-series suspicion that this is now the biggest show in town. The Ashes has a lot to live up to.
![[Australia's Sam Konstas showed that even a batting culture as conservative as theirs has room for adventure]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/07/11/93821209-14258291-image-a-7_1736248278398.jpg)
