The recently concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy saw some great performances and intense on-field competition between India and Australia, setting the stage for a dream combination of the best players from both teams.
India suffered a six-wicket defeat to Australia in the fifth and deciding Test in Sydney on Sunday, and lost 3-1 in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT). This loss ended India’s hopes of making it to the World Test Championship (WTC) final, with Australia securing the spot.
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Australia, who won the BGT for the first time since 2014, will defend their WTC title against South Africa at London’s Lord’s Cricket Ground in June this year.
We present a combination of players from both India and Australia, selected for their outstanding technique, attacking mindset and match-winning contributions, that shaped this highly contested series.
opener
Yashasvi Jaiswal
Despite the poor performance of India’s batting line-up, Yashasvi Jaiswal was the top scorer for the visiting team and the second-highest scorer in the entire series. In his first tour to Australia, Jaiswal scored 391 runs at an average of 43.44 in 10 innings, including a brilliant century and two fifties. His outstanding performance was a brilliant knock of 161 in the first Test at Perth, leading India to a resounding 295-run victory.
KL Rahul
Before he took to the bat in Perth, KL Rahul had been suffering from a slump since the start of 2022, scoring only four 50-plus runs in 21 innings. However, the ever resilient Rahul played a blistering knock of 77 in the first two innings of the match. Scored 26 points in the first inning. More importantly, he formed a match-winning 201-run opening partnership with Yashasvi Jaiswal, leading India to victory in the first Test. Throughout the series, Rahul scored 276 runs in 10 innings at an average of 30.67, including two fifties and a brilliant knock of 84 in the third Test at the Gabba, which ended in a draw. It was a highlight. Although his statistics may not fully reflect his performance, he still managed to outscore Australia’s opening batsmen and earn a spot.
middle hitter
Marnus Labuschagne
Marnus Labuschagne, Australia’s No. 3 batsman, showed signs of form against India with decisive knocks of 72, 70 and 64. However, his overall performance was below expectations, with a series average of only 25.77 points. Labuschagne, who has not scored a Test century in the last two years, amassed 232 runs in nine innings at a strike rate of 41.50, the most by any batsman in the series, with the help of three fifties.
stephen smith
The series also marked a stunning comeback for Australia’s star batsman Steve Smith, who made a spectacular comeback and scored 314 runs in five matches, including a brilliant double century. Smith’s superb performance reinforced his status as one of cricket’s elite and reaffirmed his place among cricket’s famous ‘Big Four’. Smith finished the series with 9,999 runs, one run short of the coveted 10,000-run milestone. He will now have to wait for the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle later this month for his next chance to become the 15th batsman to join the exclusive club.
travis head
India’s nemesis Travis Head continued his fine form and emerged as Australia’s main man, finishing the tournament as the leading run-getter. His outstanding performances include 448 runs in five matches at a strike rate of 92.56. The Australian batsman smashed a double century and achieved a personal best score of 152, securing his place at the top of the run-scoring table.
wicket keeper
rishabh pants
Rishabh Pant, the second-fastest Test fifty by an Indian player in the SCG Test, became the team’s fourth-highest run-scorer with 255 runs in nine innings at an average of 28.33. However, this series was far from the stellar performance in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2020-21 season as Pant’s influence was not as pronounced this time.
all rounder
Nitish Kumar Reddy
Young Nitish Kumar Reddy made his memorable Test debut in Perth on November 22 and played in all five matches of the series. The 21-year-old all-rounder impressed with both bat and ball, scoring 298 runs and taking five wickets in nine innings. His outstanding performance came during the Boxing Day Test at the MCG, where he batted at number seven in difficult conditions and scored an incredible 114 runs off 189 balls. Reddy’s all-round contribution was a bright spot for India throughout the series.
spinner
nathan lion
Australia’s best off-spinner, Nathan Ryan, experienced a lackluster performance in the series, taking just nine wickets in five matches at an average of 36.89. Despite scoring the third-highest number of overs (122.4) for Australia, Lyon’s impact was minimal during the 3-1 series against India. With 196 wickets from 48 Tests, the experienced bowler has achieved the remarkable milestone of overtaking Ravichandran Ashwin to become the highest wicket-taker in the World Test Championship (WTC). Ashwin had secured 195 wickets in 41 matches for WTC.
fast bowler
jasprit bumrah
Jasprit Bumrah, India’s best fast bowler, was the standout performer in the series, taking an impressive 32 wickets in five Tests. With an average of 13.06 wickets, Bumrah surpassed Bishan Singh Bedi’s record of 31 wickets (average 23.87 wickets) in the 1977-78 series against Australia and is the new record for most wickets by an Indian bowler in an overseas Test series. was established. Bumrah also became the fastest Indian fast bowler to reach 200 Test wickets, achieving the milestone at the MCG and is now the second fastest Indian bowler to reach this mark after Ravichandran Ashwin’s 37 Tests. It becomes.
Pat Cummins
Pat Cummins played a pivotal role in Australia’s dominance in the five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy series. The Australian captain, who bowled a series-best 167 overs, produced an outstanding performance in the Sydney Test, picking up five wickets in two innings. Cummins finished the series with an impressive 25 wickets, conceding 534 runs overall, demonstrating his leadership and bowling prowess.
scott borland
Scott Borland, the chief architect of Australia’s six-wicket win in the fifth Test at the SCG, delivered a sensational match performance of 10 for 76. This feat puts him alongside the legendary Glenn McGrath as one of only two Australian seamers to do so since 1990. To take 10 wickets in a Test at the SCG. The first was McGrath, who took 10/103 against India in 2000. Boland was outstanding throughout the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, taking 21 wickets in just three matches at an impressive average of 13.19, cementing his place as India’s key player. Australian success.
