New Delhi [India], November 14 (ANI): The Australian soil has served as a place where many Indians have made their names in cricket, be it Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh etc. This country has also served as a starting place of many careers in Test and international cricket as a whole for several Indian stars.
With India putting faith in some promising youngsters for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy this time around, it could very well mark a starting point for players like Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy (in Tests) and Abhimanyu Easwaran. Their exploits in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and domestic cricket earned them a place in the squad and they are just a few steps away from a potential debut in international or Test cricket.
Here is a look at some players who started off their careers in Australia and where they are now:
-Irfan Pathan (2003)
The pace bowling all-rounder made his international debut with the Test format in December 2003 at the age of just 19. His debut Test was an iconic win at Adelaide, thanks to a game-changing double ton by Rahul Dravid, who scored 233 and made 72* in the second innings to chase down 230 runs. India managed to draw the series 1-1.
Pathan’s debut Test saw him score just one run and take a wicket for 160 runs across both innings. He played 173 matches across all formats for India till 2012, scoring 2,821 runs with a century and 21 fifties at an average of 26.12 and picking up 301 wickets. He also won the ICC T20 World Cup 2007 and ICC Champions Trophy 2013 with India.
Now, Pathan is making a living for himself as a commentator and cricket expert.
-Vinay Kumar (2012)
Vinay Kumar made his Test debut under MS Dhoni’s captaincy in 2012 at Perth. This was his only Test outing in which he picked up a wicket. He also played 31 ODIs and nine T20Is for India, picking up 48 wickets in them with his last Indian appearance coming in November 2013 against Australia, as per Wisden.
Vinay retired from first-class cricket in 2020 after playing 139 matches and picking up 504 wickets, retiring as a Karnataka legend. He was also handy with the bat, scoring over 3,300 first-class runs with two centuries. A year later, he was a part of Mumbai Indians’ talent scouting team in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and joined MI Emirates as the bowling coach in 2022.
-Karn Sharma (2014)
The spinner made his debut in Tests under Virat Kohli’s captaincy at Adelaide in the 2014-15 series over a more experienced Ravichandran Ashwin. Karn took four wickets in the match, with two in each innings, but a 12-wicket haul by Nathan Lyon outshined him completely. This was the only Test he played, with Ashwin returning later.
He also played two ODIs and a T20I for India, picking up a wicket across both of these formats.
Karn continues as a key domestic cricket player for Railways, having picked up 255 wickets in 89 first-class games and last played this year for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in this year’s IPL.
-KL Rahul (2014)
Rahul made his debut in international cricket under MS Dhoni in 2014 during the third Test of the series at Melbourne, scoring just four runs across two innings. However, he scored a fine 110 in the next match at Sydney, which ended in a draw.
His international career has gone through a lot of ups and downs since then due to injuries and inconsistency. In 202 international matches, he has made 8,097 runs at an average of 39.30, with 17 centuries. In Tests, he averages just 33,87 having made 2,981 runs in 53 Tests with eight centuries. Brilliant patches and knocks have often been followed by either an injury or loss of form. KL would be looking to get his career on track this time around with a fine showing in BGT in Australia, where he averages just above 20.
-Mayank Agarwal (2018)
Mayank made his international debut during the 2018-19 BGT at Melbourne in third Test, replacing KL Rahul. Mayank scored a fine 76 in the first innings and 42 in the second, playing a crucial part in India’s 137-run win. In two Tests of the series, Mayank scored 195 runs in three innings, at an average of 65.00, with best score of 77.
In 21 Tests in his career, with his last coming against Sri Lanka in March 2022, Mayank scored 1,488 runs at an average of 41.33, with four centuries and six fifties in 36 innings. His best score is 243.
He continues playing domestic cricket, leading Karnataka in the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2024/25.
-Mohammed Siraj (2020)
Siraj’s entry into international cricket was a moment of emotion and resilience, as he bravely defied the racism from the crowd in his debut series. In absence of injured senior players, Siraj stepped up big-time, leading the pace battery in final Test at Gabba with an experience of just two Tests before that. He took 5/73 in the match-winning effort at the Gabba, helping India to an inspirational series win, getting key wickets of Marnus Labischagne and Steven Smith. He took a total of 13 wickets in three matches.
Siraj is now an all-format star for India, having taken 165 wickets in 91 matches, including 80 wickets in 31 matches. He readies himself for a second Australia tour and would be second-most experienced pacer in the attack after Jasprit Bumrah.
-Navdeep Saini (2021)
Saini made his debut in whites during the Sydney Test last time in the 2020-21 series, taking two wickets in each innings and in the next game went wicketless. He has not played a Test since. Ever since his international debut in 2019, Saini has taken 23 wickets in 21 international matches, including eight ODIs and 11 T20Is. His last outing in Indian colours was a T20I against Sri Lanka in July 2021. Saini was recently picked for the India A series Down Under, and is present in the BGT squad as a reserve players alongside Mukesh Kumar and Khaleel Ahmed.
-Shubman Gill (2021)
Gill, having made his international debut in 2019, got to make his Test debut in Melbourne during the second Test at Melbourne. He was a crucial part of the young, inexperienced Indian line-up which secured an inspiring 2-1 win over Australia. In three matches, he scored 259 runs at an average of 51.80, with two half-centuries and best score of 91.
Since then, Gill has become an all-format star, scoring 4,706 runs in 97 matches with 12 centuries and 23 fifties. ODIs are his preferred format, scoring 2,328 runs in 47 matches with six centuries and 13 fifties. With a steady run of form behind him, he would be aiming to do good in his second Aussie tour.
-Washington Sundar (2021)
Having made his Test debut in the iconic Gabba Test win during 2020-21 series, Sundar scored 62 and 22 in the match and took four wickets, including three in the first innings. His match-winning stand with Shardul Thakur is a very memorable chapter of the India-Australia rivalry.
Now, after some fine performances with the bat and ball in the recently concluded home series against New Zealand, Sundar has been picked up as the third spinner for the series. He has played six Tests, taking 22 wickets and making 354 runs with three fifties. He has also played 22 ODIs and 52 T20Is since his international debut in 2017.
-T Natarajan (2021)
Natrajan made his debut across all formats during the 2020-21 tour to Australia and played his first Test at Gabba, picking up three wickets and has not played first-class cricket since then. Though he has played for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) since then, his last international match was against England in March 2021.
The much-anticipated Border-Gavaskar series between India and Australia kicks off on November 22, with the first Test at Perth. The second Test, featuring the day-night format, will take place under lights at Adelaide Oval from December 6 to 10.
Fans will then turn their attention to The Gabba in Brisbane for the third Test from December 14 to 18.
The traditional Boxing Day Test, scheduled from December 26 to 30 at Melbourne’s iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground, will mark the series’ penultimate stage.
The fifth and final Test will be held at the Sydney Cricket Ground from January 3 to 7, promising an exciting climax to a highly anticipated series. (ANI)
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