Top 5 Australian cricketers who have great Test record against India

Steve Smith and Nathon Lyon. (Photo Source: Stu Forster/Getty Images)

India and Australia have an age-old rivalry in Test cricket. In the 107 Tests played till now, Australia have won 45 times whereas India have emerged victorious on 32 occasions. Australia had their dominance from the early 1990s to the mid-2010s whereas India enjoyed their moment of joy here and there but did not get consistent results.

The India vs Australia series’ have seen some incredible performances from Australian cricketers. Their competitive nature has produced some highly exciting cricket on the field. Many Aussie cricketers went on to deliver some of their career-best performances against India. Their names are etched into cricketing records over the years.

Le’s discuss some of the top Australian performers who made their mark in cricket. We have four batters who are regarded highly as Test batters all over the world and rightly so. And the lone bowler interestingly is a spinner who over the years in the last decade has been a constant feature in the Australian side.

5. Matthew Hayden

Matthew Hayden. (Photo Source: INDRANIL MUKHERJEE/AFP via Getty Images)

The gentle giant of Australian cricket Matthew Hayden loved to play against India. He scored 1888 runs in 18 Tests averaging 59 runs, way over his Test career average. The southpaw batter had his share of success against India’s successful Test bowlers Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh. Even now, Harbhajan Singh talks about the fear he had bowling against Hayden.

Hayden was a consistent run scorer for his side. While opening the batting he laid the foundation for other batters to follow. He has 6 hundreds and 8 half centuries to his name against India. He was a skilful attacking batter who could play both pace and spin well.

When it comes to Test wins against India, his average goes a few notches up. His most memorable innings was 203 in the scorching heat of Chennai. Although his batting couldn’t save Australia from the Test as well as the series loss, his knock cemented Hayden as one of the best batters in the format, certainly against India.

4. Michael Clarke

Michael Clarke (Photo Source: Twitter)

Michael Clarke, regarded as one of the most talented batters of his time, has great batting records against India. The New South Wales boy made his Test debut against India in 2006’s Bangalore Test. He scored 151 batting at number six and helped his side win the first Test of the series. At the end of the series, Clarke had 400 Test runs to his name, only behind the series’s best Damien Martyn (444 runs).

In 22 Tests he scored just over 2000 runs averaging 53.92. He crossed the 100-run landmark seven-time which includes his best Test score of 329* as well. In the 2011-12 series, he turned into a beast, scoring 626 runs in 6 innings. Moreover, his great batting exploits and leadership qualities propelled him to captain the Austarlia side later on.

Clarke was more than a handy left-arm orthodox. In the 2004 Wankhede Test, he ran through Indian batting lineup in the second innings. His bowling produced 6 wickets for just 9 runs. He might have been underutilised as a bowler just for the fact that Australia didn’t require him to roll arms, such was their bowling attack.

3. Nathan Lyon

Nathan Lyon. (Photo Source: Gettyimages)

Nathan Lyon is the only bowler to feature in this list. By a long margin, he is the most successful Australian Test bowler against India in terms of wickets taken. The curator-turned-off-spinner from New South Wales has 121 wickets against his name in 27 Tests. This stat accumulates close to a quarter of his total Test scalps.

The right arm offie provides a perfect balance to his bowling colleagues. Lyon is known for his relentless accurate bowling, pressurizing batters to commit mistakes. On Australian decks, he relies on side spins to challenge both the edges of the bat. He took 60 wickets in 28 innings at his home, which is known for not favouring the spinners.

Indian batters found him tough to tackle, especially with their not-so-good spin-playing techniques. Lyon has registered five-wicket hauls record 9 times. His best performance came during the 2016-17 Border-Gavaskar Trophy where in Bangalore he picked up 8 wickets just for 50 runs. He ran through the Indian batting order quite a few times. A master of his craft, Lyon stands a chance to add a few more scalps under his belt.

2. Ricky Ponting

Ricky Ponting (Photo Source: Twitter)

Ricky Ponting’s name would still be haunting Indian cricket fans from the early 2000s. His sheer impact not only as a batter but also as a captain was tremendous. The fierce competitor from Tasmania scored 2555 runs in 29 Tests, making India his favourite Test nation to score runs against. He scored close to 20 percent of his Test runs against India which speaks volumes about his dominance.

Although he has batted 51 times in Tests, he scored just 8 hundred and 12 half-centuries. But whenever he crossed the 100-run mark, he tried to make it big. Three double-hundreds coming against a single opposition is a huge achievement for a Test cricketer. One of those came in the last Test match he played against India back in 2012.

The Australian who used to bat at number three for the Kangaroos, had cricketing instincts which could change the fortune of the match. He used to get his on-field decisions right most of the time. Though Ponting won only twice against India in the 11 Tests that he captained against the Asian side.  

1. Steven Smith

Steve Smith. (Photo Source: Twitter)

Hardly any Test batting record in the modern day will be written without Steven Smith. The modern-day genius has an exemplary record against India in Tests. In 19 Tests that he played against the South Asian country, he scored over 2000 runs averaging close to 66. During these matches, he touched the three-figure mark nine times with the best score of 192.

Smith has been one step ahead against the Indian bowlers every time he faced them in red-ball cricket. In the 2014-15 Test series back in Australia, he struck 769 runs in 4 Tests. Post that series, he continued to maintain a healthy track record against India. His only failure came against India in the Border Gavaskar Trophy earlier this year, scoring 145 runs without a half-century.

But he quenched his run thirst in the most anticipated Test match of this year. At the Oval, he scored 121 runs in the first innings for Australia laying the foundation for the WTC win. The champion cricketer might get to play at least 8-10 more Tests against India. Undoubtedly, he will break many Test batting records during this course.