India v Australia Test series: Combined XI
The best picks for each spot from either team.
Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravichandran Ashwin has been hailed as the greatest off-spinner in world cricket currently. His performances may have been overshadowed by Ravindra Jadeja for a change but his impact has been noteworthy nevertheless.
21 wickets in 4 matches at an economy rate of 2.55 ensured that the Australians were never able to relax and play their natural game because of the continuous pressure generated from both ends by the duo.
Nathan Lyon
Nathan Lyon has been nothing short of an enigma for the Indians. His previous experience as a curator helps him adapt and acclimatize to different conditions which might be a big factor behind his splendid performances on pitches where he enjoys a limited experience.
The 29-year-old snapped 23 wickets at an economy rate of 3.27 and constantly terrorized the Indian batsmen who were expected to be proficient against spin bowling. His partnership with O’ Keefe will surely be one of the highlights of the series.
Umesh Yadav
The speedster who was born in Vidarbha has truly emerged as India’s leader with his exceptional bowling performances against the Aussies who are well-known for their ability to smash pace bowlers.
Yadav’s gameplay has been nothing short of magical the movement he has gained with the new, as well as old ball along with the bounce from the wicket, had the Australians in all sorts of troubles which is evident from the 17 wickets he earned. He bowled to the plan and emerged as a wicket-taker and partnership-breaker for the team this season concluding with 30 wickets in 12 Tests.
Josh Hazlewood
Hazlewood rightly deserves the last spot having contributed with sterling performances for the Australians with the ball. His unnerving accuracy and the ability to bowl consistently at a high pace have earned a lot of praise from Indian batsman KL Rahul who named him as a key threat.
The Aussie might have scalped just 9 wickets in 4 games but the pressure he generated crafted a way for the spinners to take control and pick up wickets on the bounty.
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