5 Australian greats who made their Test debuts against India

#1 Michael Clarke

Clarke announced himself with a splendid century in Bangalore

The dominant Australian team of the 2000s was returning to what they had called ‘The Final Frontier’ a few years back. Their preceding series in India had ended with a euphoric 2-1 victory to the hosts. Wiser for the experience, things were different this time around.

The opening game of the 2004 series saw a blond 23-year old batsman from New South Wales get his maiden taste of Test cricket. Having acquainted himself with the international arena through a slew of eye-catching ODI performances, Michael Clarke hit the ground running in whites.

A remarkable 151 in the first-innings against a bowling attack featuring Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan and Irfan Pathan paved the way for a 217-run win. Australia would go on to breach ‘The Final Frontier’ with a 2-1 series triumph.