Ahead of Border-Gavaskar Trophy Down Under, Indian and Australian military contingents battle it out on the cricketing pitch in Pune

The man of the match award went to Lieutenant Colonel Aakash Gulia, Naik Susheel was adjudged best bowler, and Sepoy Tek Chand the best all-rounder.

Brigadier Amanda Williamson, commander of the Australian contingent, had said at the inauguration, “Wherever I travel all over the world in this role, Australians and Indians are always great friends until we start to talk about cricket. We have shared love for the game. I am pleased to see that our program has many opportunities to talk about cricket and to play cricket. I look forward to seeing that competition out on the pitch during the exercise.”

The Austrahind exercise was first held in 2022 at Mahajan Field Ranges in Rajasthan. The second iteration was held in Perth, Australia in 2023. The joint exercise is an annual training event conducted alternatively in India and Australia. The third edition is underway at the Foreign Training Node of the Aundh Military Station in Pune from November 8 to 21.

Along with strengthening military relations, Austrahind is aimed at improving the interoperability and sub-conventional military operation capabilities of the two nations.

The Australian contingent comprises the troops of the 13th Brigade of the 2nd Division of the Australian Army while the Indian contingent comprises troops from 9 Dogra Infantry Battalion of the 72 Infantry Brigade of 36 Rapid Strike and Indian Air Force Garud Commandos. A total of 255 soldiers and officers from both countries are participating in the exercise.