Australia vs India 2018-19: 5 Players who established themselves with the Test series

Team India couldn’t have asked for a better start to the new year. They have achieved a feat by ending a 71-year drought and clinching their first ever series victory in Australia. In a 4-match Test series which has concluded on January 7, the Indian team beat Australia comprehensively in every department and claimed the honours with a 2-1 margin.

For India, Cheteshwar Pujara‘s batting and Jasprit Bumrah’s bowling have been the highlights of the tour. Pujara scored three 100s and almost batted 31 hours in the entire series. It was his batting that made the difference between the two teams. Indian bowlers were sensational as the pace trio of Ishant Sharma, Bumrah, and Mohammed Shami picked 48 wickets of the total 70 wickets that fell in 4 matches.

For India, this series was all about youngsters stepping up and delivering even after being put in the deep end. Even the Australian team that is in a rebuilding phase tried a few new names. It was an opportunity for players on both sides to grab the chances and make it count. The ones who did that will be a part of the setup for a much longer duration now. Let’s take a look at the 5 players from both the sides who have potentially established their places with the show in the Test series.

1. Marcus Harris (Australia)

Marcus Harris had a decent outing in his debut series against a fiery Indian bowling attack, and he did a considerable job as against his partner Aaron Finch who really struggled all the way through. Where things stand right now, Harris would be a definite pick in the upcoming Ashes later in 2019. Though he hasn’t scored as big as some of the Indian batsmen, his application while facing the new ball and even the way he was able to play the spinners will be a big positive for Australia.

He has the right temperament to be an opening batsman, and the 1st innings in the Sydney Test was a good display of his ability. As it is very early in his career, Harris has time in hand to improve and is undoubtedly one of the brightest spots for the Aussies in the series where not a lot went their way.

Series Numbers: 258 runs at an average of 36.85

2. Rishabh Pant (India)

He proved to be a complete package for the team, Rishabh Pant played an excellent hand with the bat and behind the wickets. Having made his Test debut in August 2018, the 21-year-old has gone from strength to strength earning a permanent position for himself in the team. The four-match Test series was so good for him with the bat that, Pant even outscored skipper Virat Kohli’s tally of runs and become the 2nd highest run-scorer of the series.

His unbeaten 159 was the highest score by a wicketkeeper ever in Tests at the SCG. He grabbed 11 catches in the Adelaide Test match which is most by an Indian and the joint most any wicketkeeper overall. The best view was that of his maturity with the bat, the composure to stay on the crease for longer and to make it count when the team needed his contribution. With that, Pant has sealed his spot as the preferred wicketkeeper-batsman in the Test team.

Series Numbers: 350 runs at an average of 58.33

3. Travis Head (Australia)

Just like his teammate Marcus Harris, Travis Head has shown glimpses of his exceptional skills and ability but somehow could not convert those starts into knocks that made a difference. With the kind of technique and temperament Head possesses, he would still get a nod ahead of some senior players who failed to capitalize and make it count on crucial junctures right through the series.

Head scored just one half century in the series but got starts each time in the five innings. His ability to tackle spin would certainly be an added advantage when the team travels to the sub-continent. In his 6-match Test career, Head has earned the reputation that will help him hold onto his place for longer.

Series Numbers: 237 runs at 35.85

4. Mayank Agarwal (India):

If there is one player who has been the most consistent run-scorer in Indian domestic circuit in the last couple of seasons, it has to be Mayank Agarwal. Having piled on the big runs, he knocked on the door of the national selectors consistently. As the Indian openers failed to give them a start in the first two Tests and with Prithvi Shaw ruled out with an injury, Mayank was handed over his Test cap in Boxing Day Test match at the MCG.

He is known as a shot-maker but opening the batting in a Test is a different ball game, the 27-year-old went about business in regular fashion but also made a mark with his shots. When he walked out in front of a full house MCG crowd it was evident that he belonged to this level.

The way he used his against Nathan Lyon, forced the off-spinner who had been dominant until then to change his plans. Agarwal dispatching bad balls to boundaries was also a hallmark of his batting throughout the series. He scored a couple of half centuries in the last two Test and though one would feel he should’ve converted those knocks, the Karnataka player has made a lasting impression right at the start of his career.

Series Numbers: 195 runs at an average of 65 (3 innings)

5. Hanuma Vihari (India):

Hanuma Vihari had talked about his willingness to do as the team and his skipper expects from him and soon enough there was an occasion for him to come true to it. In the third Test at the MCG, Vihari was pushed to the opening slot and having batted at No.6 to start with, he was out there opening the batting. Though he didn’t score a fifty or hundred in the 1st innings of the MCG Test, the way he dealt with the new ball has strengthened the belief of the team management on him.

He had left the balls outside the off stump and didn’t look uncomfortable at the crease. That he also has the ability to break the key partnerships with his part-time spin, he makes the skipper’s life a lot easier and becomes a player easier to fit in the combination. With his performance in this four-match series, Vihari could be India’s permanent number 6 batsman they have been searching for.

Series Numbers: (111 runs at an average 22.2, two wickets)

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