Nathan Lyon and Travis Head, Player Ratings, Cricket News 2023

Australia have bounced back from two embarrassing defeats in Nagpur and Delhi, beating India by nine wickets at Holkar Cricket Stadium to maintain their ICC rankings of No1 Test teams.

Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne provided a bold 78-run partnership on day three to ensure Australia pursued the difficult goal and took the series 2-1 in India’s favor into the fourth Test in Ahmedabad. It was only India’s third home defeat in the last decade.

Australia have also secured their place in the final of the Test World Championships, which will be held at the Oval in June.

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USMAN KHAWAJA — 8

60 and 0

Usman Khawaja has been Australia’s most reliable hitter at the Border-Gavaksar Trophy to date, breaking out a class of 60 on day one to ensure the visitors had a sizeable lead in the opening innings. He was the only player from either side to reach fifty in the first innings.

But chasing a small 76-run target in the fourth innings, Khawaja got Australia’s chase off to the worst possible start with a second-ball duck – admittedly falling victim to an unplayable delivery from Ravichandran Ashwin.

Regardless, Khawaja had already laid the groundwork for Australia’s historic victory on Wednesday afternoon.

Travis Head—8

9 and 49*

It’s still confusing that Travis Head was dropped for the Nagpur series opener.

Travis Head’s experimental tenure as Australian Test opener, standing in the absence of David Warner, can be viewed as a resounding success.

The South Australian made a footwork error in the first innings and was caught by Ravindra Jadeja for 9 on the pads, but he showed his class on day three with a 49 counterattack that wasn’t out.

It was a left-hander’s trademark – he attacked anything that was too high and wasn’t afraid to play his shots despite the bowler-friendly conditions.

Head has now scored the most points for Australia in the second innings of both Tests he has competed in during this series.

MARNUS LABUSCHAGNE — 7.5

31 and 28*

It was an upside down friendly for Marnus Labuschagne.

The Aussie No. 3 should have gone back to the sheds for a golden duck in the first innings after hacking a short delivery back into his stumps, but Ravindra Jadeja had passed the popping crease.

He capitalized on the reprieve by teaming with Usman Khawaja in a game-changing 96-run partnership for the second wicket, eventually falling victim to Jadeja for 31.

But Labuschagne was impeccable in the second innings, teaming up with Head for an unbeaten 78-run partnership to lead Australia to a historic win.

No fifties in this series for Labuschagne.

STEVE SMITH-7

26

The Australia captain looked impeccable in the first innings at Holkar Cricket Stadium, racing towards 26 before Ravindra Jadeja delivered an absolute beauty to hit the outside edge. There wasn’t much Smith could have done.

Unneeded in the second innings, Smith’s match highlight came on day two when he parried a one-handed short leg stunner to end Cheteshwar Pujara’s defiant second-innings strike. It was a turning point in the game.

PETER HANDSCHAMM — 5

19

A relatively quiet test game for Peter Handscomb.

The Victorian amassed 98 deliveries in the first innings and held the line alongside Cameron Green for an hour on day two before his dismissal sparked a horror 6-11 slump.

He scored a patient 19 that helped stem the flow of wickets at the Indore minefield but failed to convert the start into half a century.

CAMERON GREEN – 6th

21, 0-14

He didn’t contribute much with the ball in Indore but Cameron Green’s batting was reassuring for the national selectors.

The West Australian’s knock in the first innings was solid and was unfortunately spent for 21 after a marginal LBW call.

Green is still looking for that coveted first Test century, but he continues to impress on the international stage.

ALEX CAREY-6

3, a catch, a stumble

Once again, Alex Carey’s stunning batting was overshadowed by his masterful wicketkeeping at Indore, a common trend for the South Australian throughout the series.

The 31-year-old was naughted out by Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin in the first innings, he sacked LBW for 3 but his glove work stole the show.

Despite the variable impact and fierce turn on day one, Australia didn’t concede extras in the first innings, with Carey remaining relentless behind the stumps.

MITCHELL STARC-6

0-21 and 1-14

Mitchell Starc, who was deprived of two wickets in the first over of the game, had a quiet Test match with the ball, sending just 12 overs down over the three days.

His only wicket on the spin-friendly Indore wicket was the crucial dismissal of Shreyas Iyer in the second innings, with Usman Khawaja claiming an excellent mid-wicket catch to send the Indian batsman for the 26th (27th) pack.

However, while looking for a backswing on day two, Starc repeatedly strayed down the side of his leg, making life difficult for Alex Carey behind the stumps.

TODD ​​MURPHY – 7

1-23 and 0-18

He didn’t claim a bag of wickets in Indore but Todd Murphy was once again immensely impressive with the ball against India’s world-class slam attack.

His lone wicket for the match was an important one, trapping Virat Kohli on the pads for 22, which was India’s highest score in the first innings.

The young Victorian, who was slightly underfoot from an ongoing side injury, offered no freebies for India’s top order and conceded just 18 runs in 14 overs in the second inning. It was the best wicketless spell of the series so far.

NATHAN LYON – 10

3-35 and 8-64

The GOAT can’t stop breaking records.

Nathan Lyon was at his best on day two, picking up eight wickets in the second innings to lead Australia to victory at Indore.

The off-spinner thrived on the raging gymnast at Holkar Cricket Stadium, becoming the first Australian spinner to score multiple moves of eight wickets in Tests.

He also became the leading wicket-taker in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, amassing 113 wickets on 31.92 in 25 Tests against India.

MATTHEW KUEHNEMANN – 8

5-16 and 1-60

A standout performance at Indore, Matthew Kuhnemann picked up his first five-wicket pull in Tests in the opening innings to finish 5-16 from nine overs.

The Queensland tweaker didn’t put in a bad performance on day one as India’s right-handers struggled to get him off the turning wicket.

Kuhnemann regularly fell short in the second innings, with Shreyas Iyer enjoying some sloppy deliveries on day two, but he intercepted Virat Kohli’s wicket to keep Australia in a dominant position.