5 Australian greats who made their Test debuts against India

#3 Steve Waugh

Waugh came into a struggling outfit and left from a dominant unit

Before he became a legendary middle-order batsman, Steve Waugh was an aspiring all-rounder trying to forge a Test career out of military medium pace and breezy stroke-play. Right after Reid’s debut, Waugh began his journey in the year-end Boxing Day Test.

On an unusually spin-friendly surface, he fell for a painstaking 32-ball 13 to Laxman Sivaramakrishnan’s loopy leg-spin. A blazing Greg Matthews ton propelled the Aussies to a respectable first-innings total. Waugh chipped in with a couple of wickets even as India took an 183-run lead.

A typically grim Allan Border knock and the visitors’ lack of intent helped stave off a defeat. As for the right-hander, this was just the stepping stone of what would be a truly inspiring career.