The time to switch our TVs on early in the morning is nearly upon us! India, on the back of a tough home series against New Zealand, must now battle hard against the mighty Aussies on their home turf.

India will go into the series with some advantage, having been undefeated in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy since 2014. The last two series in Australia have been unforgettable, with India pulling off dramatic victories in different circumstances.

Over the years, Indian batters have delivered some extraordinary innings. Here’s a look at modern Indian batters who dominated on Australian soil.

Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar's first tour of Australia came at the tender age of 18. He came into the series hyped as a bright prospect for the future. He ended the series having established himself as India's next batting superstar. A knock of 148 off 213 balls at the SCG helped India to their only draw of the series, but just a few days later, Tendulkar produced an innings that is still talked about today.  On a fast, bouncy WACA pitch, Tendulkar took the fight to the Australian pacers even as wickets kept tumbling around him. Having been promoted to No. 4 just one innings prior, Tendulkar made the position his own with this innings. His 114 came off just 161 balls with 16 boundaries.

Over the next two decades, Tendulkar produced numerous masterclasses against the Aussies in their own backyard. The crowning jewel was an innings of 241 not out at the SCG in 2003-04 - an innings of supreme determination and discipline where he cut out the cover drive from his arsenal. Then there were knocks of 154* at the SCG and 153 at Adelaide in the 2007-08 tour. Despite that tour being mired in controversy, Tendulkar’s bat spoke louder than any noise on and off the field.

VVS Laxman

If there was one man the Australian teams of the 2000s perhaps feared more than Sachin, it was the ‘Very Very Special’ Laxman. The stylish batter reserved his very best for Australia. He unfurled a breathtaking 167 off 198 balls opening the innings at the SCG in the final Test of India’s 1999-2000 tour of Australia. By the time India next toured Australia in 2003-04, Laxman was already Australia's boogeyman, thanks to Eden Gardens, 2001. Laxman started that tour with 75 at the Gabba, followed by a superb 148 at the Adelaide Oval which resulted in a remarkable victory for India. He finished the series on a high with 178 at the SCG. He would continue his love for Australian tours with 109 at the SCG and 79 at the WACA in the 2007-08 series. 

Virender Sehwag

The fast and bouncy pitches of Australia fit Virender Sehwag's game perfectly. This comfort was on full display at the MCG with a scarcely believable knock of 195. He finished the series with a knock of 72 at the SCG. Sehwag was also the only non-Australian batter to cross 50 when Australia took on the Rest of the World in the one-off Super Test in 2005.

When India toured Australia in 2007-08, Sehwag had been out of the team for a few months, having been dropped due to poor form. Backed by skipper Anil Kumble, Sehwag showed that he had lost none of his flair with scores 63 and 151 - the latter of which helped India eke out a draw. He would go on to start the 2011-12 tour with a half-century at Melbourne and finish with another at Adelaide. 

Rahul Dravid

Rahul Dravid had a tough first tour of Australia in 1999-2000, scoring only 93 runs in 3 Tests. His second tour, however, was a completely different story. In the now-famous Adelaide Test, Dravid and Laxman reunited for another epic partnership, giving Australian fans flashbacks to Eden Gardens 2001. Dravid's 233 was followed by a vital 72* in the second innings to guide India to their first Test win in Australia in over 20 years. Dravid was also at the forefront of India's next Test victory in Australia, at Perth in 2008; his innings of 93 in the first innings was the top score of the match.

Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli heralded India’s next generation of gun batters, and he did so by establishing his dominance against Australia in their own backyard. Kohli had had a rough start to his Test career coming into the 2011-12 series, and there were calls to move on from the batter who had dazzled in ODIs for years. All that changed at Perth. Kohli top-scored with a gritty 44 in the first innings before playing a lone hand again in the second innings with a combative 75. The next Test at Adelaide saw him score his maiden Test century: a disciplined 116 in an innings where no other Indian crossed 35. Like Tendulkar had done so many years ago, Kohli too elevated his game on a tough tour of Australia.

The next time Kohli visited Australian shores, it would be as India's newest Test captain. He set the tone for his leadership style in his very first outing - with him at the helm, India would always chase victory even at the risk of defeat. It was a killer mindset never seen before in Indian cricket, and Kohli led from the front. He took on the Australian bowlers with twin hundreds at Adelaide, smashing 115 and 141 and nearly taking India to glory. He kept up his brilliance with 169 and 54 at the MCG and 147 at the SCG to end the series with 692 runs - a record for the most runs in a series by an Indian in Australia.

He stood tall with a sensational 123 at Perth in the 2018-19 tour, which he followed with 82 at the MCG. He also scored 74 in the fateful Adelaide Test in the 2020-21 series - his only match of that series.

Cheteshwar Pujara

The ice to Virat Kohli’s fire, Cheteshwar Pujara formed the backbone of both of India’s incredible series wins in 2018-19 and 2020-21. Pujara's first knock on Australian soil was a typically solid 73 at Adelaide in 2014-15. It was his highest score in that series, though he got starts in every game. It was the 2018-19 series where he truly came into his own. He started the tour with 123 and 71 at Adelaide, which resulted in an Indian victory, and followed it up with a resolute 106 at the MCG in another Indian win. He finished the series on a high, with a mammoth 193 at the SCG in a match India would almost certainly have won were it not for rain. 

If the 2018-19 tour was all about the runs for Pujara, the 2020-21 tour was all about balls faced. With Kohli only playing the first Test and various Indian players going down with an assortment of injuries, the need of the hour was blunting the Australian bowling - something Pujara did better than anyone. From his first innings at Adelaide, a knock of 43 off 160 balls, Pujara sacrificed personal glory for the team. He focused on absorbing deliveries - sometimes wearing blows on his body - to blunt the Australian pace attack. He made 50 off 176 and 77 off 205 at the SCG in a hard-fought draw. He then contributed a 211-ball 56 in the second innings at the Gabba to help India to an iconic victory.

Ajinkya Rahane

Ajinkya Rahane had a special affection for Australia. The 2014 tour firmly established him as India's new Test No. 5, with scores of 62 in Adelaide, 81 at the Gabba, and 147 at the MCG - the last of which came as part of a destructive partnership with Kohli. He put in a couple of crucial performances in the 2018-19 series with innings of 70 at Adelaide and 51 at Perth. 

But it was his captaincy during the 2020-21 tour that will perhaps be his enduring legacy. After India’s shocking collapse in Adelaide, they needed a spark of inspiration. Taking over from Kohli after the first Test, Rahane led from the front with a knock of 112 at the MCG that revitalised India's spirits after the fateful Adelaide collapse. On Day Five at the Gabba, he counterattacked with a 22-ball 24 after Pujara's dismissal, signalling to both his own team and the opposition that India were chasing victory and would not be satisfied with a draw.

Rishabh Pant

Rishabh Pant kept getting starts throughout his maiden tour of Australia in 2018-19, but it was only in his final innings of that tour that he actually crossed 50. He ended up with 159 not out in that innings. It was during that knock that his partnership with Pujara first gave Australia nightmares. It would not be the last time. 

In his next tour Down Under, Pant again got off to a couple of good starts at Melbourne and Sydney. In the second innings, his 148-run partnership with Pujara kept India in with a sniff of victory, an unthinkable idea when they got together at 102 for 3. Pant's dismissal for 97, along with injuries to Hanuma Vihari and Ravindra Jadeja, meant that India were unable to pursue victory and had to settle for a draw instead, albeit a draw that very much felt like a victory.

Then came the Gabba. Chasing a massive target on Day Five, India needed something magical. At 167 for 3, Pant walked in and played one of the finest knocks of his career. He started cautiously, biding his time, before unleashing his aggressive side. He took on Nathan Lyon with his usual audacity, stepping out and hitting him for six merely one ball after a delivery that spun all the way to first slip. His unbeaten 89 not only sealed a historic win for India but also capped off one of the greatest Test series of all time.

Shubman Gill

Before Pant’s heroics at Gabba, it was Shubman Gill who had already set the stage. Despite being his debut series, Shubman looked absolutely at ease. He had already shown his promise earlier in the series. A confident 45 in his debut innings was followed by a maiden half century at the SCG.

By the time he came out to open in the fourth innings at the Gabba, it was scarcely believable that this was Shubman’s debut series. He pulled, hooked, and cut with a maturity that belied his age and lack of experience. His assault of Mitchell Starc was jaw-dropping. He missed a deserved century, getting out for 91, but his fearless batting laid the foundation for an incredible chase which Pant completed.

With the first Test of the 2024-25 Border Gavaskar Trophy kicking off at Perth on November 22, India’s returning batters will have the chance to enhance their legacies, while the newcomers will have the chance to forge their own.