4 current Indian cricketers whose careers took off against Australia

India are blessed with a plethora of cricketing talent but not all of them live up to the expectations. Only an elite group manage to stay afloat amidst tough competition and most fade away before their careers take off and they become a mainstay in the national side.

There have always been few tours or oppositions who are tough to play and test the real character and determination of players. Australia are one such team. They have usually possessed quality cricketers and if a player excels in or against them, it often means that they have a bright future ahead of them.

In no particular order, let's take a look at 4 present-day Indian stars whose careers took off against Australia.

Note: Only matches after 2010 have been considered for this article.

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#4 Kuldeep Yadav

Kuldeep celebrates his hat-trick at the Eden Gardens

Kuldeep Yadav is one of India's biggest strengths in all forms of cricket. The left-arm chinaman spinner has worked his way up the ranks very quickly and finds himself as a regular feature in all formats of the game. He's one of Kohli's favorite bowlers and has often been labelled the "X-Factor" of the side due to his impressive variations.

The making of Kuldeep was against Australia in 2017 when his brilliant performances in the domestic circuit and in the IPL earned him his maiden Test cap. He duly impressed by picking up 4 wickets in his first outing. The chinaman exponent made his ODI debut against West Indies and briefly impressed but was dropped for the 3 ODIs against Sri Lanka which followed.

Then Kuldeep erupted and made a statement against Australia in an ODI at the Eden Gardens when he picked up a hat-trick against a quality batting opposition. Naturally, that set his career onwards and he's now a key part of this Indian side across all formats.

#3 KL Rahul

KL Rahul scored his maiden Test century against Australia

KL Rahul is one of those cricketers who had a dream start to their careers but later had to prove their worth after being inconsistent and taking the repeated chances for granted. Though one might condemn his current form, no one can deny that he's a quality cricketer and his debut series against Australia proved the fact to the world.

After failing in his first Test match against Australia at the MCG, he was given another chance at the SCG and scored a splendid hundred in tough batting conditions. He made rapid inroads into the limited-overs team breaking several records but Test cricket remained his forte.

He hadn't quite established himself in the format but a home Test series against Australia in early 2017 showed his class to the entire world.

In a series where Virat Kohli and all the other batsmen except Pujara failed, Rahul stood apart and saved India on numerous occasions and made 7 half-centuries in the 8 innings he played in. This series was the making of his Test career and that class he showed is why he's being given chances despite having a lean phase in form.

After taking off in his Test career against the opponents, Rahul would want to reboot his limited-overs career in the upcoming home series.

#2 Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma celebrates his brilliant double hundred at Bengaluru

Rohit Sharma's career is a tale of two halves and the second half seems to be the better one. He was in and out of the limited-overs squad after the T20 World Cup triumph in 2007.

In 2011, Rohit strengthened his position in the absence of heavy hitters like Dhoni, Tendulkar and Yuvraj by impressing in the tour of West Indies. Just when it seemed like his career would take off, he failed to shine in 2012 and made a string of low scores.

Nevertheless, Dhoni backed him and turned him into an opener in white-ball cricket. Rohit then played a part in India's triumphant campaign in the Champions Trophy.

However, he truly made a name for himself in Australia's tour of India in 2013. The 7-match ODI series saw Rohit plunder the opposition bowlers for runs. He smashed two centuries, including a double hundred in the decider where he scored 16 sixes at Bengaluru.

The double ton helped establish him as an opener and the opening combination he shared with Shikhar Dhawan continues till date. Rohit has scaled many peaks since then and made the highest individual ODI score when he scored 264 against Sri Lanka in 2014. The right-hander is now widely regarded as one of the most dangerous batsmen in the world.

#1 Shikhar Dhawan

Shikhar Dhawan made his Test debut against Australia

Of the players on this list, matches against Australia haven't shaped anyone's career as much as it did Shikhar Dhawan. The opener made his ODI debut against Australia in 2010 but failed to make an impact. He remained consistent in the domestic circuit but wasn't able to deliver on the international stage.

He got his big break in the Test series against Australia in 2013 and that was when the left-hander made his mark. Dhawan scored a stunning 187 off 174 balls on his Test debut and impressed one and all with his flair and dominance of the bowlers.

Dhawan continued the supremacy in the Champions Trophy where he won the Golden Bat for most runs. While one must have thought that the tournament was a one-time success, the subsequent series against Australia cemented his place in the side.

He scored 284 runs in 6 innings against Australia and played a big part in the high-scoring series and made runs at will. Needless to say, the duo of Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan have continued to be at the top of the Indian batting order and have survived the test of time. They will want to continue with their love affair for Australian bowling in the forthcoming white-ball series.