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Don Bradman was the subject of the first adult book I remember going through as a youngster. To a primary school student, the unfairness of an England's skipper ordering his teammates to target a brilliant Australian was unfathomable. Thus, similar to countless others, I came to hate England.

Excitement about the Ashes? It goes without saying. The sport's schedule makes this a rare treat to watch two of the world’s best teams challenge and provoke each other over what we hope will be five Tests of interrogation with the red Kookaburra.

According to Ian Botham reminded us last week at the announcement of the ballot for the historic 2027 match, the Ashes has a unique appeal. “Traditionally, fans globally tunes into the Ashes,” he remarked. “It's about heritage, it’s the competition, you know that’s it all flat out.”

Across the UK, those two recent drawn series – marked by Steve Smith’s mountain of runs and Stokes' heroic innings in 2019, and the controversial Long Room incident of 2023 – have met the expectations of what an Ashes battle should be. However, they have not had the equivalent resonance on the Australian shores when half of Australia nods off before the end of the lunch interval.

On Australian soil, the Ashes has been less flat out than just flat for over ten years. Fans down under anticipate their team to dominate easily, as it has been since the nineties. Boland's stunning figures at the MCG wasn’t born from a fierce duel, it was a comical English collapse confirming a worldview. A true rivalry should not be so one-sided.

Cricket’s Town Criers Must Now Crouch Down at the Fading Glow and Whistle Oxygen

The English team were met in Perth by a tired headline in the city's paper, “Bazball”, accompanied by a portrayal of the highly regarded Ben Stokes as “arrogant”. The paper then had a go at “Average Joe” Root, also known as “Flop Root in Australia”. It was enough to elicit a predictable Fleet Street reaction, allowing the media to extract every last drop in the lead-up before the series begins.

On the other hand, last year’s Border-Gavaskar Trophy between the Aussies and India sparked something all by itself. The spiritual peak was that MCG experience, a moment that cannot be extinguished. The numbers, also, impressed. 838,000 attended the five Tests, the fourth highest for any contest in Australia and the top for any non-Ashes contest. Audiences were entranced, similar to the TV bump for India’s tour of England this year, and multiple periods drew more than 2m television viewers.

Lately, the emotional if unofficial farewells of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli at the SCG made one-day cricket truly significant. Contrast the news title following the previous occasion England visited for a white ball tour: “Smallest attendance for Australia-England ODI raises fears for future of 50-over format”.

The Growing Clout of Indian Cricket

Even though rain ruined the T20 series with India, the action that occurred suggests Australia are some way off the short form’s global benchmark. In women’s cricket, at the World Cup last month, the home side knocked off the defending champions. The multi-format series starting in Sydney is primed as a de facto world championship.

One might to dismiss the adoring blue, orange and green crowds that flock to India’s matches – and not just Tests – as a simple reflection of the huge expat community of the world’s most populous nation. But, to bean counters and broadcast bosses, they are an boon.

India now matters more to Australia than its motherland, given the nations have in common an sea, colonial parallels, and growing cultural ties. India is set to overtake the UK, according to ABS migration data, as the origin of the largest group of immigrants as soon. The failing Aukus relationship is driving a realignment of defence interests respecting the rising power of regional giants, a change that long ago happened in the cricketing world.

Greg Chappell, who also led the Indian team, noted last week that England was “the classic foe”, but also that “honestly, without India, the sport would suffer”.

The Ultimate Test

Until Australia won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy last summer, India had held it for a decade. On the subcontinent, Australia haven’t won in more than 20 years. Even if the hosts reclaim the Ashes easily this summer, failing to secure the five-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy in India in the coming years would leave the Cummins era unfulfilled.

The long-awaited win on the Indian soil remains the final proving ground for today's players, and a blip against England this summer – put down to an untimely injury, similar to past incidents – would only fuel the story.

England have not secured a victory in Australia for nearly fifteen years, and as rich as the lore may be, it won't support a one-sided contest indefinitely. So, with a gaudy, engrossing India having only just flown out, the English squad have much to play for. Win the series and remain significant. Alternatively surrender the trophy and with it an irreplaceable asset: the right to being the top opponent. Please England, raise your game.