India vs Australia 2017: 5 best performers from the series

The pulsating India-Australia Test series played for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy came to a close on Tuesday, with the hosts winning the final Test by eight wickets and with it also capturing the series in their favour 2-1.

KL Rahul starred for India with the bat, making yet another half-century to lead the way for his side and win the game 30 minutes before Lunch on the fourth day.

Here are the best performers from the series:

5.KL Rahul

The Indian opener well-and-truly came of age in this series, scoring 393 runs in 4 matches at an average of 65.5 with 6 fifties in 7 innings.

The right-hander vital contributions with the bat, right throughout the series, but none more critical than the twin half-centuries in Bengaluru, that went a long way in the hosts equalling the four-match Test series.

After facing heavy criticism for his manner of dismissal in the first innings of the Pune despite being set in the middle, Rahul batted with a lot more maturity in the middle during the course of the next three games and helped India tuck one end up on most occasions.

The only dampener to his performance was his inability to convert any of those fifties into big hundreds and post the Champions Trophy when India resume playing Test cricket again, he will look to add on to his tally of 4 Test hundreds.

4.Nathan Lyon

Prior to the start of the series, much depended on how the Australian spinners performed in Indian conditions which would then enable them to have a shot at reclaiming the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Nathan Lyon stepped up to the plate for the most part of the series and put forth an outstanding performance, taking 19 wickets in 4 matches at an average of 25.26.

The efforts also included an eight-wicket haul that he took in the second Test in Bengaluru and as the series progressed, he became an even better bowler, troubling the Indian batsman with his guile.

He had mentioned before the start of the series that he looked over the videos of R Ashwin bowling and tried to implement his methods into his game and it sure did work well for him on the tour, at the conclusion of which he would have further evolved into a much better bowler.

3.Cheteshwar Pujara

India's highest run-getter of the series. The right-hander could have been mistaken for meditating than batting during the course of the four-Test matches, where he spent several long hours in the middle.

The right-hander amassed 405 runs in 4 Tests at an average of 57.85 with a double hundred in Ranchi, that helped India take the lead in the game.

Prior to the start of the home season, Pujara was criticised for his slow scoring rate, but what he has proven during the course of the season is that not only does have the extra gear in his batting, but he can be the rock for the team when they need him to be, like was the case in Ranchi.

Although playing all three formats for India remains difficult at the moment, Pujara has certainly established himself as a permanent member of the Test side, by virtue of his exploits with the bat.

2.Steve Smith

If there was a batsman in the modern game who loved playing the Indian bowling attack anywhere around the world on any type of pitches, it was Steve Smith.

After having a sensational time with the bat back home in the 2014-15 series, the Australian skipper dished out similar treatment in return tour as well, making 499 runs in 4 matches at an average of 71.28 with hundreds in three out of the four matches.

The average Indian supporter would be first to admit that had he got stuck in during the second innings at Dharamshala and batted as he had been up till that point, then surely it would have been difficult for the hosts to salvage a win in this game.

That's the kind of form he was carrying into the innings. No Indian bowler could find any conclusive weakness in Smith's batting and that meant that he made them chase leather all day long for the most part of the series.

In the end, though, it proved to be in vain as India clinched the series 2-1 and reclaimed the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after a gap of 4 years.

1.Ravindra Jadeja

Without a doubt, India's best performer in the series. For the best part of the home season before this series, a major chunk of Jadeja's contribution was limited to the ball, but in the series against Australia, the Saurashtra cricketer also came up with the goods with the bat in hand, making significant contributions at important junctures.

He made 127 runs in the 4 matches with the bat in hand and then with the ball in hand, picked up 25 wickets to end as the highest wicket-taker of the series.

In a home season, dominated by performances by his spinning partner Ravichandran Ashwin, Jadeja carved a niche for himself in the series against Australia to show that he is not to be left behind in the race for the best spinner in the team.

He will now play a series of limited-overs matches and will hope to carry this form when the Tests begin again later this year.