Australia will not return home with the prized Border-Gavaskar Trophy as India won the series 2-1, despite some outstanding performances in Indore and Ahmedabad.
One of the biggest obstacles in the sport is that Australia is still defeating India at home, and it won’t have another chance to end the streak until 2027.
For certain Australian stars, this year’s Test tour to India was a career-defining experience, but it was terrible for others.
DAVID WARNER
26 runs at an 8.66
The experienced opener’s farewell tour of India did not go as planned because he had to return home after the Delhi Test due to an elbow fracture.
Warner seemed completely out of his element in Nagpur, but he got back into his groove in Delhi before he got a concussion and had to leave the game.He teamed up with Usman Khawaja for a tough 50-run opening combination.
The 36-year-old’s career will come to a close without him scoring a Test century on Indian soil.
USMAN KHAWAJA
Runs at 47.57 mph.
Khawaja kept up his amazing comeback in Tests by getting fifty runs three times, making him Australia’s best batter of the series.
The Queenslander’s elegant 60 in the first innings on a fierce turner in Indore helped Australia win by nine wickets, but his Border-Gavaskar Trophy run will be remembered for the marathon 422 balls and 611 minutes in Ahmedabad. It was an Australian player’s longest Test inning ever in India.
MARNUS LABUSCHAGNE
runs for 244 at 40.66
The top-ranked Test batsman in the world, Labuschagne, started a lot of games during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, but he never finished them.
After constantly being caught on the crease, looking unsure of whether to press forward or shift back, the Queenslander’s batting style came under scrutiny.
During the series, he got to fifty only once, on the second-to-last day of the last Test in Ahmedabad, on a surface that made it easy to bat.
STEVE SMITH
Runs at 29.00 is 145.
Smith didn’t do any of the amazing things he did in 2017, which was disappointing for Australia.
In the Border-Gavaksar Trophy, it was the first time that he didn’t get to fifty in a Test series that had at least three innings.
All five of Smith’s dismissals came at the hands of spin bowlers, with Australia’s most seasoned batsman being silenced in subcontinental conditions by Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin.
Smith’s undesirable record and Australia’s major failure in the Ashes audition: India Test Series Player Ratings
PETER HANDSCOMB
Runs at 29.00 is 145.
Even though Handscomb has had some good games in India, it’s likely that he hasn’t done enough to keep his spot in the starting lineup for the World Test Championship final.
The Victorian was chosen as a “horses for courses” option. In Nagpur and Delhi, he scored 31 and 72 in the first inning, respectively, to show how valuable he was.
Still, Handscomb’s plan to bat was exposed in Ahmedabad when a full delivery on the stumps got him out for 17.
Matthew Renshaw
4 innings at 1.33
I’m sorry.
Matthew Renshaw was picked out of the blue to play in the first game of the series in Nagpur, but he didn’t do anything to prove the selectors wrong. He was out of the game after being LBW in both innings for a golden duck and two.
The Queenslander was lucky to get a second chance in Delhi when David Warner got a concussion and had to be replaced. However, when he tried a careless sweep shot, he was again caught on the pads for two runs.
Pat Cummins
3 dismissals at 39.66
At Nagpur and Delhi, the Australian captain was especially bad with the new ball. He often missed the pads and hit India’s openers.
After playing the only seamer in the second Test in Delhi, Cummins went home to be with his family while his mother, Maria, got care at a hospice.
SCOTT BOLAND
No wickets were taken.
The Victorian cult legend hasn’t lost a home match in the last two summers, but his one test in India didn’t leave much of an impression.
During the first game of the series in Nagpur, Boland hit the ball hard and with good line and length, but India’s batters weren’t too worried about the 33-year-old.
NATHAN LYON
22 wickets for 22.36 runs
He is referred to as the GOAT for a reason.
Lyon was at his very best for the balance of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after a lackluster start in Nagpur, and he finished the series as the series’ top wicket-taker among touring Test spinners in India.
The seasoned off-spinner helped Australia win by nine wickets in Indore by taking 8-64 in the second innings. He was voted Player of the Match.
TODD MURPHY
14 dismissals for 25.21
Murphy couldn’t join Victoria’s Sheffield Shield team a year ago, but now that he has beaten Virat Kohli four times in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the young tweaker will go home.
The 22-year-old bowled perfectly in all four Tests, even though he had only played in seven first-class games before. This solidified his place as Nathan Lyon’s eventual replacement.
The future of Australian cricket appears to be in the hands of Murphy and Cameron Green.
MATTHEW KUHNEMANN
9 dismissals for 31.11
Kuhnemann, who was flown to India at the last minute, was a great addition to Australia’s spin trio in the last three Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
The Queenslander stood out in Indore, recording career-high figures of 5-16 in the first innings to aid in the team’s success in batting India out for 109 on the first day.
When Australia visits India again in 2027, the Test team’s bowling attack might be led by Kuhnemann and Todd Murphy.
TRAVIS HEAD
runs at 47.00 is 235
It’s safe to say that leaving Travis Head out of the Nagpur series opener was a mistake.
The daring left-hander led Australia’s second innings runs in each of the last three Test matches, leading the tourists to victory in Indore before egregiously falling short of a century in Ahmedabad.
Head is still attempting to get his first century in an away Test match, but any doubts about his ability to bat in the subcontinent are now completely unfounded.
