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India are gearing up to play the fifth and final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). It has traditionally a good pitch to bat on and there have been several Indian batters who have made full use of the conditions at the SCG. In fact, there have been 10 Indian batters who have got a Test hundred at this venue.
Thus, let’s look at top 10 run-getters for India at the SCG.
#10 Ravichandran Ashwin
This could be a surprising name in the list. But Ravichandran Ashwin has a good batting record at the SCG. He has got 182 runs in three Tests which include a couple of fifties. However, his unbeaten 39 off 128 balls in January 2021 was a knock for the ages as that helped India eke out a famous draw. He had unbearable back pain before the start of the knock and he forged a stunning match-saving partnership alongside Hanuma Vihari.
#9 Dilip Vengsarkar
Dilip Vengsarkar was known to produce tough runs and neutralize strong bowling attacks. He played four Tests at the SCG between 1978 and 1992, scoring 195 runs in five innings. His scores read 48, 22, 34, 37 not out and 54.
#8 Ravi Shastri
Ravi Shastri has played a couple of Tests at the SCG but has batted just once. He featured in a Test match in 1986 which India dominated but that ended in a draw. In 1992, he opened the batting and smashed an excellent double hundred – 206 off 477 balls. In the same game, he took 4/45 in the second innings with the ball.
#7 Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Gavaskar has played three Test matches in Sydney and has one hundred to his name. The legendary India batter got 49 in his first knock at the SCG before getting a couple of low scores. He smacked a fine 172 off 400 balls in 1986 which helped India post 600/4 before declaring.
#6 Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli has a fine record in Australia. He averages 49.00 with seven hundreds and four fifties. One of his tons came at the SCG in 2015 – that was the game he started his full-time Test captaincy. He scored 147 & 46 in that Test match which ended in a draw. Barring that, he hasn’t got a big score in the other three knocks. Overall, he has scored 248 runs in five innings in Sydney.
#5 Rahul Dravid
Rahul Dravid has a decent record at the SCG. The former India No. 3 has aggregated 283 runs at an average of 40.42 with two half-centuries at the ground. He got an unbeaten 91 in the 2004 SCG Test before getting a half-century in 2008. He failed in both innings in 2012.
#4 Rishabh Pant
Rishabh Pant has a fabulous record in Sydney. He has played just three knocks and each of them have been impactful. He smashed a superb 159 not out during the 2018-19 tour. That is still his highest score in Test cricket. However, in January 2021, his scores of 36 & 97 were crucial as India held onto a famous draw. In fact, when Pant was at the crease, India’s chase seemed to be on.
#3 Cheteshwar Pujara
193, 50 and 77 are Cheteshwar Pujara’s scores at the SCG. The Saurashtra No. 3 did not feature in the playing XI when he was a part of the squad during the 2014-15 tour. However, he made it up on the following tour. He racked up a magnificent 193 which came off 373 balls. He was the pillar of India’s series win in 2018-19, scoring 521 runs in four Tests (three hundreds and one fifty). Pujara followed that up with excellent twin half-centuries in 2021 which played a big role in helping India eke out a famous draw.
#2 VVS Laxman
VVS Laxman has staggering numbers at the SCG. The Hyderabad-born middle-order batter scored three successive tons at one point at this venue. His maiden Test hundred came here as he struck a fine 167 in the second innings in January 2000. That knock was the coming of age of Laxman as he scored nearly 64% of the team’s total then. He hit 178 in 2004 before following it up with 109 in 2008. His last Test at the ground was in 2012 where he got 66 in the second dig. Overall, Laxman made 549 runs in seven innings and averaged 78.42.
#1 Sachin Tendulkar
It is no secret that Sachin Tendulkar loved batting in and against Australia. He averaged 53.20 in Australia with six hundreds and seven fifties. He got a superb 148 not out in his first outing at the SCG in 1992. A decade later, he made a famous 241 not out and that was a knock when he did not play a single cover drive. His love affair with the ground continued as he smashed an unbeaten 154 four years later. In his last Test in Sydney in 2012, he made scores of 41 & 80. Tendulkar is the only Indian to play five Tests at the SCG and he has amassed 785 runs at a jaw-dropping average of 157.
