IND v AUS 2020: 3 Team India batsmen with highest averages against Australia in Tests
The wait is almost over. The Team India vs Australia Test series will get underway on Thursday. We are set for an intriguing battle between two of the world's top ranked cricket teams. Whoever comes out on top will take a major step towards qualifying for the ICC World Test Championship Final.
Both teams have quality bowling attacks, and whichever team bats longer will likely win the series. Team India figured this out on their last tour to Australia. And their batsmen enjoyed great success to back up the plans. Here are three batsmen from India's current squad with the highest batting averages against Australia.
Cheteshwar Pujara - 60.07
Cheteshwar Pujara is someone who the Aussies will not be too keen to face again this summer. The 32-year-old led Team India to victory down under with his scintillating batting displays in 2018/19 and was a mainstay of the side. He may not be as aggressive as some of the other batsmen in the team, but getting him out can prove to be a very difficult task.
Pujara loves batting against Australia and averages an incredible 60.07 after 16 matches. He has scored 1622 runs with five hundreds and seven fifties to his name in 29 innings. His best score of 204 came in 2013, when he led Team India to an innings win over the Aussies.
This summer, Pujara will be aiming to pick up right where he left off in 2018.
Virat Kohli - 48.6
While Virat Kohli hasn't been as successful against Australia in Test cricket as Pujara, he still has an impressive average of 48.6. He also has more hundreds (7) to go along with his four fifties.
Kohli has notched up 1604 runs in just 34 innings while batting against Australia, with a best score of 169. He has led Team India to several victories against their arch-rivals.
The Team India captain is someone the Aussies love to hate. And while its disappointing that he will only be available for one Test this time around, he will try to ensure that the first Test is the most memorable one.
KL Rahul - 38.66
While he may not be a lock-in for the upcoming series, KL Rahul has a fairly decent record against Australia. The Kings XI Punjab captain has gone up against the Aussies in nine matches. And across 16 innings, he has scored 580 runs at an average of 38.66.
Rahul has hit six fifties and one hundred, with his best of 110 coming in the Sydney Test of the 2014/15 tour. The hundred proved to be vital in helping Team India earn a draw in the Test match, even though they lost the series.