The Indian Players Who’ve Shone on Australian Soil: Border-Gavaskar Trophy Legends

We are in the midst of the fiercely contested Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-24. Over the years, BGT has redefined the meaning of “TEST Cricket”. India’s Down Under tours have been full of challenges and moments of glory.

Here’s looking at the moments of sheer brilliance and celebrating the most memorable performances by Indian cricketers in Australia.

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Cheteshwar Pujara (2018-19)

Cheteshwar Pujara’s Player of the Series (POTS) performance in 2018-19 is one of the most celebrated performances by an Indian batter in Australia. Match after match, Pujara stood as a wall for India to blunt the Australian bowling attack. He scored 521 runs at an impressive 74.42 batting average, studded with three centuries.

Anil Kumble – 8/141 (2004)

Anil Kumble produced a magical bowling spell in Sydney (2004) to claim 8 wickets for 141 runs. In the contest for the ages where a win was out of reach, Jumbo pushed Aussie back to secure a hard-fought draw for India.

Jasprit Bumrah – 6/33 (2018)

Fast bowling wizard Jasprit Bumrah produced a dream spell in 2018 during the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne. The young and raw Bumrah was too much for the Aussies to handle and set up a historic test series triumph down under.

Rishabh Pant – 89 in Brisbane (2021)

The most recent performance in this list is Rishabh Pant’s 89 in Brisbane which is fresh in cricket fans’ memories. Rishabh Pant broke the Australian spirit, chasing down a 300+ total in the fourth inning at the Aussie fortress and etched his name as the greatest Indian wicket-keeper batsman in test cricket.

Sachin Tendulkar – 241 in Sydney (2004)

The legendary Sachin Tendulkar displayed incredible discipline for a long period of time. Before this marathon knock of 241 in Sydney (2004), Tendulkar was having trouble playing off-side deliveries and getting out in a similar fashion. The master blaster refrained from playing off drives throughout and anchored India’s response to Australia’s total to help secure a draw. It is the highest Test score by an Indian batsman in Australia.

Rahul Dravid – 233 in Adelaide (2003)

Rahul Dravid is regarded as one of India’s best batsmen in test format. His knock of 233 in Adelaide helped set up a rare India win on Australian shores and is regarded as one of the best-ever performances in Australia.

Virat Kohli – 115 & 141 in Adelaide (2014)

Virat Kohli, the run machine, was at his very best in Adelaide 2014 test against Australia. King Kohli slammed twin centuries, shrugging pressure off one on his captaincy debut, and almost guided India to win.

Ajit Agarkar – 6/41 (2003)

Ajit Agarkar produced one of the best bowling spells by an Indian fast bowler in Australia. The match-winning 6-wicket haul in Adelaide stunned Aussies and the match ended in a memorable win for India.

Most Test Runs by Indian batsmen in Australia

(BGT Trophy – Since the start of 1996)

Player	Matches	Runs	Highest Score	Batting Average	SR	100	50
Virat Kohli	14	1457	169	56.03	53.98	7	4
Sachin Tendulkar	15	1441	241*	55.42	58.81	4	7
VVS Laxman	15	1236	178	44.14	52.28	4	4
Rahul Dravid	15	1143	233	43.96	39.79	1	6
Cheteshwar Pujara	11	993	193	47.28	37.37	3	5
Virender Sehwag	10	948	195	47.40	73.65	2	4
Ajinkya Rahane	12	884	147	42.09	53.47	2	4
Sourav Ganguly	11	696	144	34.80	58.98	1	4
Rishabh Pant	8	662	159*	55.16	69.90	1	2
Murali Vijay	6	531	144	44.25	50.14	1	4

Most Test Wickets by Indian bowlers in Australia