Border-Gavaskar Trophy is equivalent to Ashes: Steve Waugh

NEW DELHI: Former Australia skipper Steve Waugh on Friday said that India-Australia Test series, which is played for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, is equivalent to the Ashes series as it depicts great competition between the two cricket-playing nations.
The Ashes series played between arch-rivals England and Australia got its name from a satirical obituary published in a British newspaper, The Sporting Times, immediately after Australia's 1882 victory at The Oval, their first Test win on English soil.The obituary stated that English cricket had died, and "the body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia".
"The Border-Gavaskar trophy is equivalent to the Ashes. It shows the growing competition between the two countries. Tied Test (1986) is the greatest game I have ever played. Kolkata Test (2001) loss was memorable," Waugh said in a virtual interaction while participating in India Global Week 2020.
Waugh expressed his love for India and said, "India was interesting....I couldn't stop looking out of the window. India was fascinating and I began to fall in love with the place. Great connections through cricket."
The 1999 World Cup-winning captain is planning to come out with a book which will be about why cricket is a religion in India.
"Producing this book could bring India and Australia together. We are about to finalise the book....You see amazing things about India, its diversity and passion for cricket. I want to produce a book that will surprise people about India - through pictures - showcase India, and that's my latest project, trying to capture why cricket is a religion in India," he said.
Waugh was taking part in India Global Week 2020 talking about sports diplomacy.
The much-anticipated four-match Test series between India and Australia is scheduled to begin towards the end of this year, with the second match between the two teams a day-night Test in Adelaide, starting from December 11.
The first Test will commence on December 3 while the third and fourth Tests will begin on December 26 and January 3, respectively.