India-Australia combined all-time Test XI

The Indian and the Australian cricket team have dominated the Test cricket arena for many years now. Australia started playing Test cricket in 1877, about 55 years before the Indian team made its International debut in 1932. Also, the Indian team underwent a major transformation in 1947 after the partition of the country into India and Pakistan. Over the years, both the countries have produced some excellent players who have dominated the opposition in International cricket. By the virtue of the skills of these exceptionally talented players, both these countries have managed to hold on to top positions in the world of cricket. Many of these players made excellent captains who led their team to many unconquered heights. Some of the greatest players from these countries have their names chronicled in the archives of history because of their exceptional achievements. Undoubtedly, these players have left an indelible impact in the field of cricket. Here in this article, we will be discussing the best all-time combined playing XI from India and Australia: 1. Sunil Gavaskar Sunil Gavaskar. (Photo by David Munden/Popperfoto via Getty Images/Getty Images) The ‘Little Master’ from India is the first player to feature on the list. He is one of the earliest and most successful batsmen from the whole subcontinent. The 70-year-old former batsman presently lends his voice for the on-air commentary during various matches. He is arguably one of the best opening batsmen from his generation. The characteristic which set him apart from most other players during his time was his grit and determination which ultimately was responsible for his consistent performances even against the most fearsome and menacing bowling attacks of that time. Gavaskar was one of the first cricketers who realised the importance and value of his wicket and made the bowlers toil hard just to get a chance to dismiss him. He scored 10, 122 runs in his Test career with a more than impressive average of 51.12. He scored 34 centuries in Test cricket including 4 double hundreds. Thus, he opens the batting in this playing XI. 2. Ricky Ponting Ricky Ponting. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images) ‘Punter’ as addressed by his team-mates and fans is the most successful Australian Test batsman in terms of total runs scored throughout the career. The right-handed batsman from the land down under is a gift to the sport of cricket. The 45-year-old former batsman, just like his fellow opener of this team, is currently involved in commentary assignments throughout the globe. Ponting’s mental strength to tackle and counter tough situations became a central feature of the brand of cricket played by the Aussies during his time. He is widely considered as the best captain produced by Australia in the history of cricket. Thus, he is counted in the league of all-time greats like Steve Waugh and Allan Border. He is the second-highest run-scorer in the history of Test cricket with 13, 378 runs at an average of 51.85. He also scored 41 hundreds in his career with the best score of 257. He will share the opening duties with Sunil Gavaskar in this playing XI. 3. Sir Donald Bradman Don Bradman. (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images) Sir Donald Bradman is the most successful Australian batsman in terms of average. His batting average of 99.94 makes him stand apart from every other batsman who has set foot in the International cricket arena. Sir Donald Bradman is a true legend, and might as well be a role model to all the other batsmen on this list. The impact he had on world cricket can be ascertained from the fact that he made to this list with only 52 test matches over 20 years of career under his belt. His contributions to the sport can arguably be considered as insurmountable. His greatness can further be observed from the difference between his batting average and that of his immediate successor Steven Smith (62.84). In just 80 innings, he managed to score 6996 runs with the world’s best average and a strike rate of 71.4. He also scored 29 centuries including 12 double hundreds and a couple of triple hundreds. In this playing XI, he will be taking up the responsibility of anchoring the innings at No. 3. 4. Sachin Tendulkar Sachin Tendulkar. (Photo by Hamish Blair/Getty Images) The words of Matthew Hayden, “I have seen God. He bats at No. 4 for India” accurately sum up the position held by Sachin Tendulkar in the world of Cricket. Even the legendary Donald Bradman compared his batting to that of the ‘Master Blaster’. Sachin has constantly batted in the middle-order for India in tests and has conjured up some magical innings. He is the highest run-scorer in the history of Test cricket as well as ODI cricket. He is also the only batsman to have scored 100 International centuries. 51 of those tons came in the Test format. Throughout his career, he has scored 15, 921 test runs at an average of 53.79. He has scored 51 centuries including 6 double hundreds. In this playing XI, he will take up his usual slot at No.4. 5. Rahul Dravid Rahul Dravid. (Photo by Tony Lewis/Getty Images) The ‘Wall’ of Indian cricket usually took guard at No.3 or No.4 for his country. However, he is one of the most versatile cricketers to have graced the sport of cricket. The 47-year-old former batsman currently coaches young guns to prepare them for the stage of International cricket. Hard work, patience and perseverance are the hallmarks of Dravid’s cricketing career. He is widely known throughout the world for his impenetrable defence which lent him his nickname as the ‘Wall’. He popularised a different brand of cricket with his ‘wait and watch’ style of play, exhausting the bowlers by constantly defending and making full use of their tiredness thereafter. In his career spanning 164 matches, Dravid scored 13, 288 runs and emerged as the fourth-highest run-scorer in Test cricket. He scored these runs with an average of 52.31 runs with 36 centuries and 5 double hundreds. 6. Steve Waugh Steve Waugh. (Photo Source: Getty Images) The 55-year-old former Australian batsman is often called ‘Tugga’ by his fans. He brought about a revolution in Australia’s brand of playing cricket. His aggressive play coupled with an extreme desire to win and not settle for even a draw made Australia a force to reckon within the early 2000s. His nickname sums up his batting as well as his captaincy. He plays cricket like a game of ‘Tug of War’- fiercely and in a tough manner. Often, his success as a skipper takes away the limelight from his exceptional batting exploits. He can also double up as an occasional medium-pacer, thus adding more value to the playing XI. In the 168 matches of his career, he scored 10,927 runs at an average of 50.59. He scored 32 hundreds including a solitary double century. In this team, he takes up the mantle of handling the lower-middle order. 7. Kapil Dev Kapil Dev. (Photo Source: Getty Images) The ‘Haryana Hurricane’ has a special place in the hearts of all the Indians. He was the first person to win a World Cup for India. In fact, India’s victory in the Prudential Cup was significant for the whole world as it signified the end of the Caribbean dominance and opened up the sport to the rest of the world. The all-rounder from India has equally impressive numbers in the longest format as well. He is the second-highest wicket-taker in Tests for India and has an astonishing record as a batsman as well. Many people regard him as one of the best all-rounders to have ever played international cricket along with Jacques Kallis. In his 131 Test-match career, he scored 5248 runs at a mind-boggling strike rate of 94.76 with 8 hundreds to his name. He also scalped 434 wickets with 23 five-wicket hauls. He will play the role of the primary all-rounder in this team. 8. Anil Kumble Anil Kumble of Northamptonshire in 1995. (Photo by Bob Thomas/Getty Images) It would be unfair to exclude the only modern-era bowler with a 10 wicket haul in an innings from this list. ‘Jumbo’ as he is called by his friends is India’s most successful bowler in the longest format. Presently, he has been appointed as the head coach of Kings XI Punjab for the upcoming IPL season. Apart from being a world-class leg-spinner, Kumble was a wonderful captain for his side as well. He groomed the next generation of youngsters and prepared them for the next level. As far as his bowling skills are concerned, he is the third-highest wicket-taker in Test cricket. The highlight of his career came against Pakistan where he scalped all 10 wickets in an innings for a mere 74 runs and became only the second player after Jim Laker to have a 10 wicket haul in a single Test match innings. In his career spanning 132 matches, he collected 619 wickets at an average of 29.65. These wickets included 35 five-wicket hauls further including eight ten-wicket match hauls. His quality skills as a batsman would also come in handy for the side. 9. Shane Warne Shane Warne. (Photo by Hamish Blair/Getty Images) The ‘Spin King’ as many people call him is the most successful Test match bowler on this list. The wily leg spinner from the land down under is the highest wicket-taker for Australia in the longest format of the game. Like his counterparts, currently, Warne is pre-occupied with his media commitments. Growing up in a land naturally supporting pacers, the records achieved by the spinner often don’t get enough credit. The highlight of his career came when he bowled the ‘Ball of the Century’ to Mike Gatting in the Ashes. Throughout his career, he came up with new variations and caused problems for the batsmen. In his 145 match career, Warne scalped 708 Test wickets at an average of 25.42. These included 37 five-wicket hauls and 10 ten-wicket match hauls. In this playing XI, he will share the spin duties with his Indian counterpart. 10. Glenn McGrath Ramnaresh Sarwan and Glenn McGrath. (Photo by Hamish Blair/Getty Images) The tall, lanky pacer from Australia is one of the most consistent bowlers to have played cricket. Though he was not as fearsome and menacing as the Caribbean bowlers in the 90s, his accuracy kept batsmen on their toes. He was nicknamed as ‘Penguin’ because of his thin legs as a youngster. McGrath was the most successful pacer in Test cricket until James Anderson took over the belt recently. He became an inspiration to many people by showing that you do not need express pace to become a successful seamer. His bowling partnerships with Shane Warne were enough to cripple the opposition in every aspect. In his bowling career of 124 matches, he scalped 563 wickets with an average of 21.64. These wickets included 29 five-wicket hauls and 3 ten-wicket match hauls. In this playing XI, he will take up the responsibility of spearheading the pace attack. 11. Dennis Lillee Dennis Lillee. (Photo Source: Getty Images) Dennis Lillee was one of the key figures of Australian cricket in the 1970s and was a man everyone looked upto with immense admiration. He was the greatest and most successful fast bowler of that generation. In fact, when he retired in 1984, he was the highest wicket-taker in Test cricket then and was later surpassed by other bowlers. The highlight of his career came in 1975 when he scalped the first 5-wicket haul in a men’s World Cup. He was nicknamed a ‘FOT’ since his playing days with Western Australia as his captain called him and said that he bowled like a “flippin’ old tart”. He performed consistently against all oppositions and formed a formidable duo with Jeff Thomson. In his career of just 70 matches, Lillee scalped 355 wickets with an average of 23.92. He managed to get 23 five-wicket hauls including 7 ten-wicket match hauls. In this playing XI, he will take up the role of the second pacer along with Glenn McGrath.

Topics

Featured Section

Current Series

IPL 2025 Auction

IPL Teams

Cricket Fantasy Tips

Cricket Stats

ICC Rankings

Interviews

Twitter Reactions

Cricket Appeal

Social Tracker

More Links

# Follow Us

Other Sports

India-Australia combined all-time Test XI

Over the years, both the countries have produced some excellent players who have dominated the opposition in International cricket.

4. Sachin Tendulkar

Latest Articles

WPL Auction 2025: RCB strengthen squad with versatile picks

Who is Simran Shaikh? GG's INR 1.9-crore buy at WPL Auction

Guha's comments on Bumrah reminds fans of 'Monkeygate' row