Last Updated on 1 year by Charbel Coorey
Cricket News: IND vs AUS Test head-to-head stats: Who has the best numbers? | India vs Australia head-to-head records in Tests
India and Australia will be competing for the prestigious WTC mace, but there is a lot more than just the trophy to play for. It sure is a matter of pride for both the giants involved.
Ahead of the massive game, there are a number of battles, matchups and statistics that the cricket crazy fans of both sides cannot wait for.
But, how do the players in both squads fare against their WTC Final opponents? To answer that, let us take a look at India and Australia’s top three batters and bowlers against each other in Test cricket.
WTC Final 2023: IND vs AUS head-to-head stats in Test cricket
India:
Top 3 batsmen in Tests vs Australia:
By runs scored:
- Cheteshwar Pujara: 2,029
- Virat Kohli: 1,979
- Ajinkya Rahane: 1,090
By batting average:
- Shubman Gill: 51.63
- Cheteshwar Pujara: 50.83
- Virat Kohli: 48.27
Cheteshwar Pujara, synonymous with calmness, has scored over 2,000 runs against Australia at an average over 50. He has a better average only against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. This further highlights the massive importance of Pujara in the upcoming WTC Final.
Virat Kohli, as one would expect, makes it to both the lists as well. He is 21 runs short of scoring a total of 2,000 runs against Australia in Test cricket. Naturally, he is of vital importance in the game that the world is looking forward to, the WTC Final.
Shubman Gill is a young talent who has attracted loads of attention over the last few months. He has played some of the finest knocks in recent times across formats. Gill has played five Tests against Australia, and he averaged over 51 in both series.
Ajinkya Rahane last played a Test for India in January, 2022. In his last series against Australia in 2020/21, he scored 268 runs at an average of just over 38. He will be playing his first Test in over 17 months. But, he must be high on confidence after the kind of campaign he had in the 2023 season of the Indian Premier League. He is technically very strong, and how he performs on his comeback in English conditions is something to look forward to.
Top 3 bowlers in Tests vs Australia:
By wickets taken:
- Ravichandran Ashwin: 114
- Ravindra Jadeja: 85
- Umesh Yadav: 51
By bowling average:
- Ravindra Jadeja: 18.86
- Shardul Thakur: 22.1
- Ravichandran Ashwin- 28.37
The 36-year old off spinner from Tamil Nadu is one of the only two Indian bowlers to feature in both the lists. In the latest edition of the Border Gavaskar Trophy, Ashwin took a staggering 25 wickets in four games. In a total of 22 Tests against Australia, Ashwin has seven 7-fers and one 10-fer to his name.
Ravindra Jadeja has the best bowling average and second-most wickets against Australia in red-ball cricket amongst those in India’s current squad for the WTC Final. He has been in the form of his life lately, winning Player of the Match awards consistently in whatever format he is playing. In the whites of India, he averages 18.86 with the ball this year, which is his second best ever for any calendar year since his debut (min. 40 overs bowled).
The key question is whether Jadeja will have a big impact with the ball in English conditions. If The Oval surface takes turn later in the Test, he certainly can.
Umesh Yadav, with 51 wickets in 16 games against Australia, is the third leading wicket taker in this Indian squad against India’s WTC Final opponents. His economy has been on the higher end, as he concedes at four runs per over. His average of 37.59 is not very impressive either, so it will be interesting to see if he does get the nod in India’s playing XI.
Shardul Thakur has played only eight Tests for India, with one of them coming against Australia in 2021. The all-rounder picked seven wickets in the game, and was India’s leading wicket taker across the two innings combined.
With regards to Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami, Siraj averages 32.64 in six Tests against Australia (14 wickets) and Shami 31.27 in 11 matches (40 wickets). However, both will be a threat to the Aussie lineup in English conditions.
ALSO READ: 3 reasons why India will beat Australia in the WTC Final
Australia
Top 3 batsmen in Tests vs India:
By runs scored:
- Steve Smith: 1,887
- David Warner: 1,174
- Marnus Labuschagne: 708
By batting average:
- Steve Smith: 65.07
- Marnus Labuschagne: 47.20
- Cameron Green: 41.22
One of the greatest Test batters ever, Steve Smith, tops both lists. He averages a phenomenal 65 against India in Tests. Like Smith has been on numerous occasions in the past, he will again be the backbone of the Australian batting lineup, alongside Marnus Labuschagne. How he fares in the WTC Final could very well decide the fate of the game.
Marnus Labushcagne averages close to 58 in Tests, and is ranked first in the ICC Men’s Test Batting Rankings. In nine games against India, Labuschagne has three fifties and one ton. His matchup against Ravindra Jadeja is one of the most talked about clashes and he will be looking to turn up for Australia in the important clash.
David Warner, on Saturday, announced that he will be retiring from Test cricket after the series against Pakistan in the upcoming Australian summer. He averages a little over 31 against India in Tests, but has scored almost 1,200 runs in 20 games. The WTC Final could potentially decide how his future shapes up, considering he has not been at his best in red-ball cricket this year.
Cameron Green, in six Tests against India, has scored 371 runs at an average of 41.22. In the Border-Gavaskar Trophy earlier this year, he scored 135 runs in two innings, including a spectacular ton in the last Test of the 4-match series. He averaged close to 68 in the Test series, and impressed in the recently concluded season of the Indian Premier League as well.
ALSO READ: 3 reasons why Australia will beat India in the WTC 2023 Final
Top 3 bowlers in Tests vs India:
By wickets taken (excluding Josh Hazlewood, who is ruled out):
- Nathan Lyon: 116
- Pat Cummins: 46
- Mitchell Starc: 44
By bowling average (excluding Josh Hazlewood, who is ruled out):
- Todd Murphy: 25.21
- Pat Cummins: 25.46
- Nathan Lyon: 32.40
Nathan Lyon, who ranks 8th in the list of the leading wicket takers in Tests, has notched 116 wickets against India. He has taken more wickets against Indian than against any other opposition. Steve Smith recently said that the pitch at The Oval might assist spinners as the game progresses. Considering Lyon’s success against India in the past and Smith’s analysis of the pitch, the 35-year old off-spinner could be vital.
Josh Hazlewood has taken 51 wickets at an average of 26.94 against India, but he has been ruled out of the final. The next-highest is Cummins with 46 wickets against India at an average of 25.46. The Australian skipper also has favourable matchups against the majority of the Indian batters. Mitchell Starc, on the other hand, averages 38.68 in 17 Tests against India.
