Not inviting Sunil Gavaskar to the Border-Gavaskar Trophy ceremony proved to be humiliating for the Indian cricket legend. Australia won the Sydney Test and won the series 3-1 and captured this prestigious title after 10 years. When the time came to hand over the trophy, only Allan Border was seen on the stage, while Sunil Gavaskar was not called. Cricket Australia’s action on this angered Gavaskar.
Admitting their mistake, a Cricket Australia spokesperson said, “We feel it would have been better if both Allan Border and Sunil Gavaskar had been invited to come on stage.”
Gavaskar’s anger
Expressing his anger, Sunil Gavaskar said on Sports Tak, “I was not even called, I did not receive any message or mail from Cricket Australia. The producer of Channel 7 told that if India wins this match and the series is drawn, then I will be called to present the trophy. But if Australia wins, Allan Border will present the trophy.”
Gavaskar’s reaction
He further said, “But no one told me anything directly. I definitely wanted to be there for the presentation. After all, this is the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which is all about Australia and India. It doesn’t matter to me that Australia wins in terms of presentation. They played better cricket, so they won. I would have loved to present the trophy with my good friend Allan Border.”
Importance of Border-Gavaskar Trophy
It is worth noting that the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, being held since 1996-1997, is an important cricket series between India and Australia. Sunil Gavaskar’s non-calling is being seen as a controversial incident in the history of this trophy.
