Border-Gavaskar Trophy: India and Australia have had some of the fiercest rivalries in Test cricket. Australian wickets have always been challenging for visiting teams, yet there have been Indian batters who have answered the challenge magnificently.
Here is a listing of the top five Indian batsmen to have scored the most runs against Australia on Australian soil.
Sachin Tendulkar
The top spot goes to Sachin Tendulkar, one of the greatest batters in the history of the game. Tendulkar scored 1,809 runs in 20 Test matches with an average of 53.20 with 7 fifties and 6 hundreds to his name. His excellent feature has been fighting fast bowlers on bouncy tracks.
Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli is one of the most prolific run-scorers in cricket in contemporary times, and his performance down under is not any different. He made 1,352 runs from 13 matches with an average of 54.08 with 4 half-centuries and 6 hundreds to his name. Kohli’s aggressive batting and skill to bat under pressure were to the fore in the 2018-19 series against Australia.
VVS Laxman
VVS Laxman was one of the most prolific batters in world cricket. Laxman was part of India’s “Fab-5” during his play days. Against Australia in their den, Laxman scored 1,236 runs in 15 matches with an average of 44.14 with 4 fifties and 4 hundreds.
Rahul Dravid
Nicknamed “The Wall,” Rahul Dravid’s temperament made him a potent challenge to Australians. He scored 1,143 runs in 15 Test matches at an astonishing average of 43.96. Dravid’s ability to construct match-winning innings under pressure was brought to the fore in the 2003-04 series as he scored a memorable 233 in Adelaide and built on from there to help India to historic victory.
Cheteshwar Pujara
Cheteshwar Pujara has been a revelation in several series against Australia, and during challenging tours, too. His average is 47.28 in 11 matches with 993 runs. The best hour of Pujara’s career came in the 2018-19 series when he played an integral part in India’s first Test series win against Australia in Australia. His cool composure and ability to perform crunch innings under pressure make him an integral part of the Indian batting order.
