Top 5 Indian performers in Australia

The Indian cricket team hasn’t had the greatest of times in Australia, having won only on 5 occasions in the 40 Tests that they have played down under. However, in these 40 Tests, there have been a few silver linings for the Indians, who have performed very well amidst the ruins.Here are the 5 best performers for India in Australia:

#5 Bhagwath Chandrasekhar

One of the main reasons why India enjoyed success overseas during the 1970s and 80s was the presence of 4 spinners in their attack. Out of the four, Bhagwath Chandrasekhar was the most handicapped and yet the most effective spinner. He had a terrible time in Australia during his first tour over there in 1967 when he picked up a solitary wicket in 2 Test matches.

However, the next time he went to Australia, he probably had one of the best series of his career. He picked up 28 wickets in 5 Tests at an average of 25.14 and helped India win the fourth Test of the five-match Test series at Melbourne, taking identical figures of 6 for 52 in each innings that helped India make a comeback into the series after being 2-0 down. He picked up 6 wickets in the following Test at Sydney that helped his side square the series 2-2.

#4 Kapil Dev

One of India's best fast bowlers, Kapil Dev picked up 51 wickets in 11 Tests at an average of 24.35. He played a key role in his first tour in 1981 when he picked up 14 wickets in 3 Tests at an average of 23.78. Crucially, he helped India win the 3rd Test at Melbourne, picking up 5 for 28 as India bowled out the Aussies for 83, winning the Test match by 59 runs.

In his next tour down under, the Haryana Hurricane had a decent time, picking up 12 wickets at an average of 23. However, his best tour of Australia came 6 years later where he took 25 wickets in 5 Tests at an average of 25.80 with best figures of 5 for 97 which he recorded in Melbourne.

Here’s a video of Kapil Dev’s match-winning performance at Melbourne:

#3 VVS Laxman

Over a 16-year long career, VVS Laxman played many stellar innings for India but some of his most impressive performances came against Australia in Australia. The Hyderabadi scored 1236 runs in Australia across 4 tours at an average of 44.14 with 4 centuries.

It would be fair to say the Laxman's career as Test cricketer was kickstarted in Australia in 2000 when he scored 167 in the second innings of the third Test at Sydney against the likes of Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee and Shane Warne. When he returned to the country in 2003, he had already established himself one of the key men in India's middle-order and had a fruitful time, scoring 494 runs in 4 Tests at an average of 82.33 that included 2 tons at Adelaide and Sydney.

In his third tour in 2007, Laxman scored yet another hundred in Sydney but made a key contribution in India's famous win at Perth, scoring a vital 79 that helped his side set a target of 413 for the Aussies which proved too much for them in the end. By far, his most disappointing series against them came in 2011 when he scored only 155 runs in 4 Tests at an average of 19.37. This was also, incidentally, the last time he represented India in international cricket.

Here’s the video of that crucial innings from Laxman at Perth.

#2 Sunil Gavaskar

One of the greatest opening batsmen in the history of Test cricket, Sunil Gavaskar amassed a total of 920 runs in 11 Test matches at an average of 51.11. He seemed to have got a liking to the pitches in Australia from his very first tour itself in 1977, when he scored 450 runs in 5 Test matches at an average of 50, that included 3 centuries at Brisbane, Perth and Melbourne against the likes of Jeff Thompson, Wayne Clark, Alan Hurst and Sam Gannon.

However, he couldn't match the highs of '77 in his next tour in 1980 when he could amass only 118 runs in 3 Test matches. This series is also best remembered for Gavaskar asking Chetan Chauhan to walk back to the dressing room after, first the former felt that he was wrongly given out by umpire Rex Whitehead and then secondly, Dennis Lillee had told him a few words on his way back. But Chauhan was told to go back and bat by the Indian team manager Shahid Durrani.

He had a much better time in his third and final tour to Australia as he scored 352 runs in 3 Tests at a whopping average of 117.33, scoring hundreds at Adelaide and Sydney.

Here’s a video of that controversial decision at Melbourne.

#1 Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar had success across the globe, but his performances in Australia were a notch higher than the rest. He aggregated a total of 1809 runs at an average of 53.20 in 20 Test matches. From his first tour down under, it seemed like the little genius was going to have a great time over there. He scored probably the best century of his Test career when he smashed a brilliant 114 on a quick pitch at Perth against a genuine pace attack consisting of the likes of Craig McDermott, Merv Hughes and Mike Whitney.

Prior to that, he scored an equally impressive 148 at Sydney filled with 14 exquisite strokes. In the next tour in 1999, the Little Master was the only saving grace in an otherwise disastrous series for India. He was the highest run-getter for the Indians, scoring 278 runs in the 3 Test matches.

His third tour to Australia is best remembered for his epic 241 not out at Sydney. The Bombay bomber failed to hit a single cover drive in the entire innings and rated that knock as his best, at the time. In his next tour, Tendulkar had a wonderful time once again as scored two centuries at Sydney and Adelaide despite India losing the series 2-1.

Many thought that it was the last time he would be seen playing on Australian soil, but it wasn't the case as he returned for a fifth tour in 2011. Unfortunately, he had a forgettable time this time around, amassing a mere 287 runs in 4 Tests as India were whitewashed 4-0.

Here’s a video of Tendulkar’s 114 at Perth.