5 Australian players who could return to India for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in 2027
Australia lost their fourth consecutive Test series to India, who won the 2023 leg with a 2-1 scoreline.
With that series victory, Rohit Sharma and Co. also retained the coveted Border-Gavaskar Trophy. India won the first two Tests in Nagpur and Delhi comprehensively before losing in Indore and drawing in Ahmedabad.
Despite losing the series, Australia can be proud to be the only team in the past decade to challenge India at home to the hilt on multiple occasions.
The tourists believed they had plenty to play for even after losing in Nagpur and Delhi as they kept improving as the series progressed. They had plenty of positives to take from the series, which should keep them in good stead ahead of their next visit.
On that note, we take a look at five Australian players who might still be around for the 2027 Border Gavaskar Trophy in India:
#5 Matthew Kuhnemann
Matthew Kuhnemann wasn't picked in the initial squad for the four-Test series in India and was flown ahead of the Delhi game, given Ashton Agar was low on confidence. While the left-arm spinner's first Test scalp was Virat Kohli, he couldn't make a significant impact in Delhi.
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However, he followed it up with a fifer on a rank turner in Indore to skittle the hosts for 109. Although the 26-year-old dismissed Kohli in the second innings of that game, he was slightly expensive.
Kuhnemann finished the series with nine wickets in three Tests at 31.11. A promising debut series augurs well for his immediate prospects and he could lead Australia's spin-bowling attack in India in four years.
#4 Todd Murphy
Todd Murphy has established himself as a worthy successor to Nathan Lyon by making the Indian batters dance to his tunes. The 24-year-old picked up seven wickets on his Test debut in Nagpur and emerged as the only silver lining in Australia's innings defeat.
Although the Victorian didn't pick up a lot of wickets in the next three Tests, he performed a holding role to perfection, allowing Lyon and Kuhnemann to chip away.
Murphy further enhanced his reputation by dismissing Kohli four times in the series. If fit and consistent, the youngster could definitely be one of the first names in the squad to tour India in 2027.
#3 Travis Head
Controversially left out of the first Test in Indore for Matt Renshaw, Travis Head exorcized his sub-continent demons in style. The left-hander went up the order in the second innings of the second Test in Delhi and scored an enterprising 43 before Ravichandran Ashwin removed him.
The South Australian went from strength to strength as the series progressed, making scores of 49*, 32, and 90 in the next few innings to assert the management's blunder in Nagpur.
Having captained South Australia in first-class cricket, he could lead the national team four years later in India.
#2 Cameron Green
Cameron Green is arguably one of the few cricketers to watch out for in the next few years, given the giant strides he has taken since his international debut in 2020. The 23-year-old's absence in the first two Tests hugely hurt the visitors as it impacted their balance.
Returning to the line-up for the third Test in Indore, Green looked good for his 21 before a close lbw call had him. The towering cricketer hit his first Test century in Ahmedabad and played briskly, especially with the Indian bowlers breathing fire.
While he went wicketless throughout the series and conceded substantial runs, the youngster could be significant to Australia's fortunes in the 2027 series.
#1 Marnus Labuschagne
Australia's number three Marnus Labuschagne is expected to be a mainstay in their batting unit when they visit India four years later to win a Test series. The number-one-ranked Test batter didn't have a bad series for a player touring India for red-ball cricket for the first time.
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He got starts in almost every innings but could not convert them into significant scores. Labuschagne eventually converted his start to a notable score in Ahmedabad, staying unbeaten at 61 as the Test resulted in a draw.
He was Australia's second-highest run-getter of the series and would have picked up some valuable experience ahead of the 2027 tour.