Australia’s 3-1 series victory over India appeared comfortable in the end, but there were key moments when they were put under significant pressure. Jasprit Bumrah posed a major challenge for Australia, and the pitches were tough for batting overall. While some players delivered strong performances, others were less impactful. A crucial factor in Australia’s wins in Adelaide, Melbourne, and Sydney was the depth of their squad. Here are the key takeaways from the series, with a focus on upcoming tours to Sri Lanka, the World Test Championship final, a visit to the West Indies, and next summer’s Ashes series.
How Long Can Khawaja Continue?
Usman Khawaja has repeatedly dismissed the idea of retirement whenever it has been suggested. Despite turning 38 during the series, he maintains that age is just a number and has no set timeline for when he will retire. His performance in the series, however, was underwhelming. He managed just 184 runs at an average of 20.44, passing 20 only four times, with one half-century in Melbourne and a crucial 41 in Sydney. It was a tough series for top-order batters, with Yashasvi Jaiswal emerging as the second-leading scorer with 391 runs at 43.44. KL Rahul averaged 30.66, while Sam Konstas averaged 28.25 across four innings. Marnus Labuschagne also faced significant pressure but finished with an average of 25.77, including three half-centuries.
Australia’s hierarchy will argue that Khawaja had one problem, which was Bumrah. He fell to him six times for 33 runs from 112 deliveries faced. He was 3 for 93 off 141 against Mohammed Siraj, falling twice to the pull shot against him. He scored 58 off 124 without losing his wicket to the five other India bowlers he faced. Some of the deliveries he got from Bumrah were unplayable, but the last one that got him on the first night in Sydney was not one of them, where he played back to a very full ball that did not appear to deviate off the seam.
To say he only has a Bumrah problem also masks the fact that he has averaged 28.68 in his last 24 Test innings. But his captain Pat Cummins believes Khawaja is playing as well as ever and can continue as long as he wants while he’s still contributing.
“I felt very comfortable when he was out there batting,” Cummins said after the win Sydney. “He looked so assured. We said it with Nathan McSweeney as well, it doesn’t get any harder than opening batting on these pitches against a quality bowling attack. It’s the hardest job in cricket, and I thought he looked really good at times. Sometimes he got some really good balls. He looks like he’s batting as well as any other time. So probably, overall, [he] didn’t get the runs he would have liked but you get an innings like today where he just shows his maturity and experience is so valuable. He took some good catches in the field as well. Still moving all right. No end date from our end. We’ll see as long as he’s still scoring some runs.”
He did take some good slip catches late in the series but also dropped a couple in Perth. He was long thought to be needed in Sri Lanka given he was far and away Australia’s best batter across the three tours to Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India in 2022 and 2023. He was also Australia’s leading run-scorer in the 2023 Ashes in England and his experience in those conditions would suggest he will be valuable for the WTC final.
Beyond that, Australia have three Tests in the West Indies in June-July at the start of a new WTC cycle before the home 2025-26 Ashes where Khawaja will turn 39 during the third Test in Adelaide. Time will tell whether age is just a number for him.
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