In a bold statement, Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has claimed that the India-Australia cricket rivalry has now surpassed the historic Ashes in importance. His comments come as with the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 taking center stage.

The two teams have played some thrilling Test cricket in recent years, with India holding the upper hand, having won the last four Test series, including two victories on Australian soil.

Speaking to Fox Sports, Albanese explained his perspective on how the India-Australia rivalry has grown over time, especially in light of the recent Border-Gavaskar clashes. He emphasized the impact of cricket's global following, noting that the Indian Premier League (IPL) plays a massive role in the sport's global appeal.

“I think it is now, the population, if you look at the IPL is just such a huge part of global cricket now. Prime Minister Modi, there I was there at Narendra Modi stadium there in Ahmedabad for the test match and the crowd was enormous. Of course, it seats more people than any ground in the world and they're so passionate,” Albanese said. 

Albanese also expressed his excitement for the upcoming Boxing Day Test on December 26 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), predicting a massive turnout.

"And of course, we played the final at the international cricket series (World Test Championship) was played in the in London. And we were successful there, but the series, there's a real rivalry and now I would suggest even more. It used to happen sometimes just a three-Test series. It's going to be Boxing Day will be huge on December 26 I think, you know, they could get the 100,000 people there and it's great for Australian tourism as well." He said.