India first played a Test match against Australia in November 1947 in Brisbane where they lost by an innings and 226 runs. Since then, there have been a lot of historic clashes between the two sides; as of the current date, they have locked horns in 90 games out of which India have won 24 and drawn 25. There was also a tied Test between the two outfits.
Over the years, the Indo-Australian rivalry has witnessed some incredible talents in the game who have gone on to become legends. Be it the Tendulkars or the Warnes, the players of these two teams have always put their best foot forward against each other. And then there have been skippers like Steve Waugh and Sourav Ganguly who have led their respective sides with aggression and flamboyance.
With the Border-Gavaskar trophy beginning from February 23rd, we have put together the best ever players from both sides to form a combined XI.
#1 Mathew Hayden
He was tall, powerful and fearless. These qualities helped him shrug off his technical deficiencies as he rose to become one of the finest openers ever. Hayden did not caress deliveries to the ropes; he would batter them with force.
Be it the pull, the hook, the cut or the cover drive, Hayden excelled in all of them and he was a widely feared batsman. He was also one of those few Australian batters who could play spin well. He used his height to great advantage to get to the pitch of the ball and then hoick it into the stands.
In his Test career spanning over 15 long years, Hayden scored 8625 runs from 103 games at an average of 50.73. En route, he scored 30 tons and 29 fifties with a highest score of 380. To top it all, Hayden was a brilliant slip fielder.
#2 Sunil Gavaskar
Unlike his batting partner in the list, Gavaskar was only 5 feet, 5 inches tall. But even with such a stature, he went on to score tons of runs in international cricket. And he did it all without wearing a helmet, against the likes of tearaway quicks like Andy Roberts, Joel Garner and Jeff Thompson.
Gavaskar was the fastest to reach 10,000 Test runs and 35 centuries (later broken by Sachin Tendulkar). And although he was known for his unbreachable defence, he was also adept at pulling and hooking the cricket ball.
He could play every shot in the book but often curbed his instincts to lend solidity to the Indian team. For the record, Gavaskar scored 10,122 runs from 125 Tests at an average of 51.12 with 35 hundreds and 45 fifties.
#3 Donald Bradman
Beyond any doubt, he was the greatest cricketer of all time. How else would you define someone who had a Test average of 99.94? Throughout the 1930s and 40s, Bradman ruled the cricketing world.
Such was his dominance that he scored 974 runs in a series against England, of which 309 runs came in a single day at Headingley.
During his time Australia lost the Ashes just once, in 1932-33, when England decided to bowl ‘Bodyline’ to him. However, he still averaged over 56 in those Tests.
After a few years of his career, it was pointless to compare him with other cricketers of his generation as he was so far ahead. He scored 6,996 Test runs from 52 matches which included 29 hundreds and 13 fifties.
He needed just four in his last Test innings, at The Oval in 1948, to ensure an average of 100 . But he was dismissed second ball for 0, a rare moment of human failing that only added to his everlasting appeal.
#4 Rahul Dravid
If you ever need some solidity in your middle order, you have to pick this man. Rahul Dravid was a technically gifted batsman who believed in piercing the gaps more than bludgeoning them to the ropes.
His rock solid defence and brilliant performances in hostile overseas conditions earned him the nickname ‘The Wall’. He was one of those last classical Test batsmen who could bat for days on end just to save the match for his team.
Besides his run scoring abilities, Dravid was a brilliant slip fieldsman. He held on to 210 catches in his entire Test career.
With the willow, he amassed 13,288 runs from 164 games at an average of 52.31. He also scored 36 hundreds and 63 half-centuries, with many coming against the Aussies.
#5 Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Tendulkar was the most complete batsman of all time. He was a prolific run getter and arguably the biggest cricketing icon the game has ever seen.
His batting was all about the perfect balance, precision in stroke-making and anticipation, which are gifts given to geniuses. Above all, Tendulkar could score all around the wicket and adapt to different pitches and conditions.
He was equally adept at scoring a quickfire 50-ball hundred and then blocking 30 balls in a row for the need of his team.
The sight of him dancing down the track and lofting the likes of Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath over the top is still one of my fondest memories in cricket. One of his greatest ever innings too came against the Australians at Perth, when as a 19-year-old he smashed a century.
A few years later he received the ultimate compliment from the ultimate batsman: Don Bradman confided to his wife that Tendulkar reminded him of himself.
For the record, Tendulkar scored 15,921 runs from 200 Test matches at an average of 53.78.
#6 Allan Border (Captain)
The left-handed workhorse was responsible for dragging Australia from a dark age and getting them back into being the best in the business. Although he took up the captaincy quite reluctantly, he grew in stature with every passing match and before long the captaincy and his batting went hand in hand.
He was not one of those batsmen who had every shot in the book, but Border knew his limits and his strengths. He would not give his wicket away easily and after tiring out the bowlers would go about his business of scoring freely.
By the time he retired in 1994, Border had scored 11,174 runs from 156 games at an average of 50.56. He smashed 27 hundreds and 63 fifties during that time.
#7 Adam Gilchrist (Wicket-Keeper)
Even in Test cricket, Adam Gilchrist was one of the most devastating batsmen ever. The left-hander believed his raw power and his ability to strike the ball hard came from his lean and muscular built.
Gilchrist was brilliant both off his front foot and the back. He even played the sweep shot to perfection, unlike several other Aussies who failed to develop that skill.
What was more breathtaking was his wicket-keeping. Gilchrist was a stupendous athlete with the gloves. He would often fling himself upwards to pluck something out of the air. At other times, he would be waiting to collect the ball and whipping the bails off in a flash.
Only Mahendra Singh Dhoni has come close to being compared to the Aussie legend.
In his Test career, Gilchrist scored 5,570 runs from 96 games at an average of 47.60 with 17 hundreds and 27 fifties. He also dazzled behind the stumps with 379 catches and 37 stumpings.
#8 Shane Warne
His big leg-break which pitched outside leg and then took Mike Gatting’s off stump is still considered the most famous delivery in the history of cricket. Warne was a youngster then but he went on to achieve bigger things in the sporting arena.
Over the years his leg-spinner not only became better but he also developed the flipper, the zooter, the googly, the toppie and the back spinner. Warne had probably the biggest arsenal of variations ever seen in a bowler. No wonder he bagged a Test hat-trick, a man-of-the-match award in a World Cup final and was the subject of at least seven books.
Warne led quite a colourful life outside the field too which often got him into trouble. But his comebacks were always memorable as he came out all guns blazing to prove himself.
In total, he played 145 Test matches where he bagged 708 wickets at an average of 25.41. Also with the bat, he scored 3154 runs without ever getting to a hundred.
#9 Glenn McGrath
McGrath's USP was an unremitting off-stump line and an immaculate length. He could move the ball both ways which resulted in him running through the opposition’s biggest batsmen.
McGrath came into the Australian side as a replacement for Merv Hughes in 1993 and went on to become the greatest Australian pacer of his time. He surpassed Courtney Walsh's 519 wickets in the 2005 Super Test to become the leading wicket-taker among fast bowlers, and eventually retired after picking 563.
Perhaps his biggest claim to fame was that every time he was written off he came back stronger with more effort. He hung up his boots after Australia beat England 5-0 in the 2006-07 Ashes and then went on to claim the Man-of-the-tournament award in the World Cup 2007.
McGrath claimed his 563 wickets in 124 Tests at an average of 21.64 with 29 five-fors and three 10-wicket hauls.
#10 Dennis Lillee
Lillee began his career as a tearaway fast bowler but soon developed back and shoulder problems. Some of these were career-threatening and they forced him to reassess his playing style. He then cut down on pace to be more accurate and developed certain remarkable skills, like the late outswinger.
Lillee got Australia breakthroughs when they needed them the most and would never say no to an extra over if his captain demanded so.
Armed with a copybook action, pace and swing, Lillee broke Lance Gibbs' world record of 309 Test wickets and finished with 355 wickets from just 70 matches to underline his status as one of the all-time greats.
Lillee averaged 23.92 with the leather and picked up 23 five-fors and seven 10-wicket hauls in his entire career.
#11 Jeff Thompson
He was the perfect partner in crime to Dennis Lillee and together they forged a brilliant fast-bowling partnership. Thompson started off as a tearaway quick capable of hitting the 150 kph mark consistently with his slingy action.
He was used to devastating effect against the English in 1974-75 where he picked 33 wickets in the series. But injuries always came in the way and as a result, he too had to cut down on his pace and concentrate on line and length.
In a career which spanned for 15 years, Thompson bagged 200 test wickets at an average of 28.00. He also had 8 five-wicket hauls to his credit.
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