The Test series between India and Australia is called the Border-Gavaskar series after the two legendary captains of the two sides. The series has provided some exceptional individual performances from time to time. This list looks at the times when Australian batters dropped commanding innings on Indian soil. Here are the three highest scores in Tests by Australian batters in India
3. Usman Khawaja – 180
The first entry of this list is a very recent one. It is from the fourth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) series of 2023, played in Ahmedabad. Australia batter first in the Test and put up a commanding total of 480. Usman Khawaja and Cameron Green were the stars of the Australian innings. Khawaja, who opened the batting, ended up scoring 180 runs off 422 balls. He was dismissed by Axar Patel, who caught him leg before; his crucial wicket remained the only scalp for Patel in the game. The Australia opener’s 180 remains the third-highest Test score by an Australian batter in India.
2. Matthew Hayden – 203
On number two, we move into the territory of double hundreds. Scoring runs in India is tough for any visiting batter, so much so that only two Australian batters have ever touched the magical figure of 200 on Indian soil. Matthew Hayden was the second one to do it in Chennai in 2001. While his heroics with the bat went in vain, with India clinching a win by 2 wickets, Hayden was awarded the Man of the match for his incredible knock. He scored 203 off 320 balls before being dismissed by Harbhajan Singh. His 203 is the second-highest Test score by an Australian batter in India.
1. Dean Jones – 210
For number one, we’ll have to turn the pages of the history book because this one dates back to 1986. The first Test of the 1986 Australia tour of India was played in Chennai. Australia batted first and posted a humungous 574/7 before declaring their innings. Opener David Boon and skipper Allan Border scored centuries, while Dean Jones produced a memorable double hundred. He scored 210 off 330 before being clean-bowled by Shivlal Yadav. Ultimately, his heroics would not matter much as India fought hard and salvaged a draw. However, his 210 remains the highest Test score by any Australian batter in India.