Head makes mockery of shock axing and Lyon cements GOAT status: Third Test Player Ratings

Australia has bounced back after two embarrassing losses in Nagpur and Delhi, defeating India by nine wickets at Holkar Cricket Stadium to maintain their ICC No. 1 Test team rankings.

Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne combined for a gritty 78-run partnership on day three to ensure Australia chased the awkward target and put the series at 2-1 in India’s favour heading into the fourth Test in Ahmedabad. It was only India’s third loss on home soil in the last decade.

Australia has also secured its place in the World Test Championship final, which will take place at the Oval in June.

Usman Khawaja — 8

60 and 0

Usman Khawaja has been Australia’s most reliable batter during the Border-Gavaksar Trophy to date, peeling off a classy 60 on day one to ensure the visitors had a sizeable first-innings lead. He was the only player from either side to reach fifty in the first innings.

But in pursuit of 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 set the foundation for Australia’s historic victory on Wednesday afternoon.

Travis Head — 8

9 and 49*

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

Chucked up the order in David Warner’s absence, Travis Head’s experimental tenure as Australian Test opener can be considered a resounding success.

The South Australian got his footwork wrong in the first innings, trapped on the pads by Ravindra Jadeja for 9, but he showed his class on day three with a counterpunching 49 not out.

It was a trademark knock from the left-hander — he attacked anything overpitched and wasn’t afraid to play his shots despite the bowler-friendly conditions.

Head has now top-scored for Australia in the second innings of both Tests he’s played during this series.

Marnus Labuschagne — 7.5

31 and 28*

It’s been a topsy-turvy Test match for Marnus Labuschagne.

The Australian No. 3 should have been back in the sheds for a golden duck in the first innings after chopping a short delivery back into his stumps, but Ravindra Jadeja had overstepped the popping crease.

He took advantage of the reprieve, combining with Usman Khawaja for 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, partnering with Head for an unbeaten 78-run partnership to guide Australia towards a historic win.

No fifties yet in this series for Labuschagne, however.

Steve Smith — 7

26

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

Not needed in the second innings, Smith’s match highlight came on day two, snaring a one-handed stunner at short leg to end Cheteshwar Pujara’s defiant knock in the second innings. It was a turning point in the match.

Peter Handscomb — 5

19

A relatively quiet Test match for Peter Handscomb.

The Victorian soaked up 98 deliveries in the first innings, holding the fort alongside Cameron Green for an hour on day two before his dismissal sparked a horror collapse of 6-11.

He scored a patient 19, which helped stem the flow of wickets on the Indore minefield, but couldn’t convert the start into a half-century.

Cameron Green — 6

21, 0-14

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

The West Australian’s knock in the first innings was solid, unfortunate to be given out following a marginal LBW call for 21.

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

Alex Carey – 6

3, one catch, one stumping

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

The 31-year-old was brought undone by Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin in the first innings, dismissed LBW for 3, but his glovework stole the show.

Despite the variable bounce and heavy turn on day one, Australia conceded zero extras in the first innings, with Carey unrelenting behind the stumps.

Mitchell Starc – 6

0-21 and 1-14

Robbed of two wickets in the first over of the match, Mitchell Starc had a quiet Test match with the ball, only sending down 12 overs across the three days.

His lone wicket on the spin-friendly Indore wicket was the crucial dismissal of Shreyas Iyer in the second innings, with Usman Khawaja claiming a superb catch at mid-wicket to send the Indian batter packing for 26 (27).

However, while searching for reverse swing on day two, Starc repeatedly strayed down the leg side, 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 batting 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, underbowled slightly due to a lingering side injury, didn’t offer any freebies for India’s top order, conceding just 18 runs in 14 overs during the second innings. It was the best wicketless spell of the series to date.

Nathan Lyon – 10

3-35 and 8-64

The GOAT can’t stop breaking records.

Nathan Lyon was at his absolute best on day two, taking eight wickets in the second innings to guide Australia towards victory in Indore.

The off-spinner flourished on the raging turner at Holkar Cricket Stadium, becoming the first Australian spinner to take multiple eight-wicket hauls in Tests.

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

Matthew Kuhnemann – 8

5-16 and 1-60

A breakout performance in Indore, Matthew Kuhnemann claimed his maiden five-wicket haul in Tests in the first innings, finishing with 5-16 from nine overs.

The Queensland tweaker didn’t bowl a bad delivery on day one, with India’s right-handers struggling to get him away on the turning wicket.

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