The rivalry between Australia and India has been an electrifying one in recent times, leaving cricket fans enthralled with the high-quality performances displayed by these two great cricketing nations. Despite their best efforts, Australia has only been able to win two Test matches on Indian soil since their series victory in 2004, with Adam Gilchrist at the helm of the team in place of Ricky Ponting. Nevertheless, there have been three Australian batsmen that have excelled in Tests played in India. Here we take a look at them.
1. Steven Smith
Steve Smith saw unparalleled success in India scoring amassing 805 runs in 10 Tests, with an average of 50.31, including 3 centuries and one half-century – making him the third-highest run-getter in Australia’s history. Smith’s 499 runs in 4 Tests on challenging wickets against India’s star spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja in 2017 Border-Gavaskar Trophy put him well ahead of any other Australian batsman to have toured India.
2. Matthew Hayden
Matthew Hayden is the only Australian opener to have scored over 1000 Test runs in India, making his feat even more remarkable considering that left-handed batsmen typically struggle against off-spin on Indian wickets. Hayden’s greatest accomplishment was in the 2001 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, where he amassed 549 runs in six innings at an average of 109.80, with one double-century, one century, and two half-centuries. This incredible performance stands as one of the best tours ever by an opener in India.
3. Allan Border
Allan Border, the World Cup-winning captain, is half of the reason behind the name of the India-Australia series, the ‘Border-Gavaskar Trophy’. His impressive record against India is evidence of this honor. In 9 matches across India, Border has scored 766 runs at an average of 51.06, including two centuries and four half-centuries. Two of those tons were scored at the iconic Chepauk Stadium – a drawn Test in 1979 and the memorable tied Test in 1986.
