India vs Australia bigger than India-Pakistan and Ashes? Ricky Ponting makes bold claim

The India-Australia rivalry has officially reached new heights, as a record-breaking 837,879 spectators attended the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. The five-match Test series between the cricketing titans shattered previous records for attendance.

The iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) alone hosted 373,691 fans over five days, surpassing the previous record of 350,534 set in 1937. This surge in crowd numbers speaks volumes about the growing intensity of the rivalry between India and Australia and how it has overtaken the traditional England-Australia Ashes rivalry in the hearts of cricket fans.

India-Australia rivalry hits new heights with record-breaking 837,879 spectators at Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25

Reacting to the numbers, former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has boldly claimed that it’s hard to argue that the India-Australia rivalry isn't now the biggest in world cricket, including the traditional Ashes rivalry. The legendary Australian batter expressed his amazement at the sheer scale of the turnout during the BGT 2024-25.

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Now, Ricky Ponting is keen to see how the upcoming Ashes 2025 attendance fares when England visits Australia for the five-match Test series, as if the crowd numbers aren't as high, it will be clear that the India-Australia rivalry has surpassed the Ashes, at least from the fans' perspective.

Ricky Ponting awaits Ashes 2025 results to declare the game's biggest rivalry

Ricky Ponting was quoted as saying by The ICC Review: “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 has 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.”

The Aussie legend Ricky Ponting also highlighted that rivalries in cricket are two-fold—there's what the fans want to see and the fierce competition between the teams. He emphasized that it’s not just about fan numbers, but also about how players view the rivalry between the three top cricketing nations.

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If BGT Tests would have lasted five days, those numbers would have been astronomical: Ricky Ponting

Ponting signed off by saying, “There are 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. Perth only went four days, Adelaide only went three days, and Sydney only went three days. Those numbers would have been astronomical if those Test matches all went five days. So exactly this time next year, we'll have a great idea of the biggest rivalry in world cricket.”

Even former India head coach Ravi Shastri has praised the growing interest in Test cricket, especially after the recent Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. He highlighted the record-breaking attendance in the Melbourne Test, with 375,000 spectators surpassing a 90-year-old record from 1936/37.

Shastri noted that this surge in attendance shows how much the interest in modern Test cricket has grown. He emphasized that fascinating episodes in Test cricket have drawn fans away from TVs and OTT platforms, with many even traveling from abroad to witness the action live.