India vs Australia 2023: All time Combined Superstar Test 11
Sachin Tendulkar, the standout as we look at the all time combined best Test players 11 for India vs Australia Tests in India.
The Border Gavaskar Trophy has always been one of the most exciting tournaments to witness when it comes to Test matches. Be it playing the Tests in India or Australia, both teams have played some highly competitive cricket that hasn’t been seen in any other bilateral series.
However, India hold a solid recency record vs Australia having won the last two Test series vs Australia in Australia. Similarly, when it comes to the same record in India are on an unbeaten streak since 2008. In fact, since 2004, India have lost only one Test match to Australia at home.
Although the overall record suggests Australia are the best team to have a good record in India in Tests. In the 14 Test series since 1956 in India, Australia have won 4 times and Drawn 2 times. In terms of matches, India have played Australia 50 times. While India have won 21 Tests, Australia have won 13 times with 15 ending in Draw and 1 in a Tie.
Needless to say, the individual performances of players is also something encouraging for us to see. So, in this article, we take a look at the all-time combined best Test players 11 for India vs Australia Test matches in India. Please note, the team is selected keeping at least 2 pacers and 2 spinners in mind.
All-time Combined Best Test Players 11 – India vs Australia:
Openers: Matthew Hayden & Sunil Gavaskar
India vs Australia Test matches are witnessed to some of the legendary openers to have played the game. Be it Australia’s Matthew Hayden, or India’s Sunil Gavaskar, Murali Vijay, Virender Sehwag, or Gautam Gambhir. We have seen some extraordinary performances from these players, and selecting only two was a tough job.
But of the names mentioned above, Matthew Hayden and Sunil Gavaskar have stand out. Hayden is the leading run-getter for Australia in Tests in India. He has scored 1027 runs from 22 innings at an average of 51.4. Hayden has seven 50+ scores in India; that’s joint most for Australia in India.
For Sunil Gavaskar, there was tough competition from Murali Vijay and Virender Sehwag. But Gavaskar excels them, only marginally though. Gavaskar has 630 runs to his name from 12 innings at an average of 52.5. Gavaskar’s consistency stands at 50%, which isn’t bad either.
Middle-order: Cheteshwar Pujara, Sachin Tendulkar, Steve Smith & VVS Laxman
The middle-order had so many challengers that it was extremely difficult to choose only 3 players. While C. Pujara, Sachin Tendulkar, Steve Smith, and VVS Laxman make the cut, the ones that couldn’t make it, but have been equally good include Michael Clarke, Gundappa Vishwanath, Allan Border, and Richie Harvey.
All the above have been superb performers, but since we had to choose only 3-4, Pujara, Tendulkar, Smith, and Laxman make it. Overall, Sachin Tendulkar is the leading run-scorer with 1821 runs to his name at an average of 56.9. VVS Laxman follows him with 1198 runs including the highest individual score of 281. Smith and Pujara have an average in excess of 60 with Pujara having 900 runs and Smith having 660 runs.
Other than the mentioned ones, other famous players like Rahul Dravid, Virat Kohli, and Ricky Ponting don’t have a good record in India vs Australia Test matches. Dravid has 1000 runs from 30 innings at an average of 35.7, Kohli has 330 runs from 11 innings at an average of 33, and Ponting has 662 runs from 25 innings at an average of 26.5; both below par as compared to their peers.
Wicket-keeper: MS Dhoni
When it comes to the all-time best wicket-keeper for India vs Australia Tests in India, there is no better option than MS Dhoni. Dhoni has not only scored the most number of runs but has also taken the most dismissals. Overall, Dhoni has 679 runs to his name from 15 innings at an average of 56.6. In addition, Dhoni has 36 dismissals to his name including 11 stumpings.
Spinners: Harbhajan Singh & Richie Benaud
With India producing spin favourable conditions, choosing only 2 spinners was the most difficult job. It’s actually harsh to pick only two spinners with as many as 6 good options excluding Shane Warne, who has been below-par in India. The six good options are Harbhajan Singh, Richie Benaud, Anil Kumble, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Nathan Lyon.
Of the six, Harbhajan Singh and Richie Benaud stand out with their performances – again only marginally though. Harbhajan is the leading wicket-taker with 86 wickets to his name from 28 innings. Whereas Richie Benaud is the best bowler overall with 52 wickets to his name from just 16 innings. Meanwhile, Warne has had only 34 wickets in India from 16 innings at an average of 43.11.
Pacers: Graham Mckenzie & Glenn McGrath
Finally, talking about the pacers, there wasn’t much of a competition, and Graham McKenzie and Glenn Mcgrath take the top 2 pacers’ positions. Overall, Mckenzie has taken 34 wickets from just 14 innings at an average of 19.3. Whereas Mcgrath has taken 33 wickets from 16 innings at an average of 21.3.
Team India vs Australia All-time Combined Best Test 11 for Matches in India:
Matthew Hayden, Sunil Gavaskar, Cheteshwar Pujara, Sachin Tendulkar, Steve Smith, VVSLaxman, MS Dhoni [c&wk], Harbhajan Singh, Richie Benaud, Graham Mckenzie & Glenn McGrath
So, that’s about India vs Australia’s all-time combined best Test players 11. Understandably, selecting only 11 players is demeaning to the players that are not selected, but the intention is only to present the best 11. Also, there hasn’t been a stand-out all-rounder between the teams, hence we had to settle for 4 pure bowlers with Sachin and Smith as part-time options.
Thanks for reading! What’s your all time Test 11 for India vs Australia Tests in India? Please email your thoughts to business@cricalytics.com
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Adesh Kothari is the founder of AK4Tsay1 Cricalytics with over 20 years of experience following Cricket.
Cricket to him is like what Football is to Lionel Messi, Singing is to Lata Mangeshkar, Dancing is to Michael Jackson, and Acting is to Clint Eastwood.
Besides his effervescent love for Cricket, Adesh is an MBA by qualification.
