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Cricket PlayersSeven years on: Where are the seven heroes of India’s historic 2018–19 Australia Test series now?
India secured its first Test series win in Australia on January 7, 2019, marking a shift in expectations.
On January 7, 2019, rain and time finally put a full stop on the fourth Test at the SCG and with it, confirmed India’s first-ever Test series win in Australia, 2-1. That day was a quiet, stubborn affirmation: India had gone to Australia and proved they would win the hard way – by batting long, bowling fast, and refusing to blink. Seven years later, the stars of that triumph are scattered across retirements, domestic reinventions, and modified international roles. The series itself has become a line you draw through the modern era: before it, India hoped overseas. After it, India expected.
Where the stars of India’s 2018-19 Australia Test win are now
1. Cheteshwar Pujara
If one batter defined the series aesthetically, it was Cheteshwar Pujara, not because it was pretty or elegant, but because it was relentless. He was named Player of the Series and finished as India’s top run-getter with 521 runs at an average of 74.42 with 3 centuries. In 2025, Pujara formally stepped away, announcing retirement from all forms of cricket. He is now seen acting as a cricket expert in various broadcast programs. His exit is the most symbolic: the classic, grind-first template that powered 2018-19 now belongs to a previous generation.
2. Virat Kohli
No Indian captain had won a Test series in Australia before Virat Kohli. The 2018-19 win sits high in his leadership portfolio, alongside the fitness revolution and the pace-bowling culture he pushed relentlessly. That said, Kohli is no longer part of India’s red-ball setup. In May 2025, Kohli retired from Test cricket, bringing down the curtain on a 14-year career. He hasn’t disappeared from the international picture, though. Kohli remains pivotal to India’s ODI plans and their planning for the upcoming ODI World Cup in 2027.
3. Ajinkya Rahane
Ajinkya Rahane was the vice-captain on the 2018-19 tour and, even without a defining innings, brought calm leadership to a squad that ultimately won in Australia. He scored 217 runs in the four matches at an average of around 31.
Rahane's relevance has shifted to franchise and domestic cricket. Kolkata Knight Riders named him captain in 2025, and he still holds the post. He continues to score heavily in first-class cricket. However, his last Test appearance for India was in 2023, and he is still pushing for a recall.
4. Mayank Agarwal
Mayank Agarwal's name is almost a timestamp of that tour: Melbourne, debut and instant calm. He scored 76 on debut at the MCG, the kind of first-innings foundation India had lacked in Australia for years and followed it up with another stubborn 70-plus in Sydney as India batted Australia out of the game. He didn't look like a tourist; he was an opener who belonged.
Where is he now? Still a high-level domestic pro, Mayank also dipped into county cricket in 2025, signing with Yorkshire for the run-in of the season, a reminder that his game remains valued in conditions that reward patience and judgement.
5. Hanuma Vihari
Hanuma Vihari's 2018-19 impact is quieter than his famous 2021 Sydney escape act, but he mattered because India needed solidity in the middle order as the squad shuffled. In Perth, he fought for 20 and 28 in a match where batting felt like survival; at the MCG, he grafted through tough minutes and saw off the new ball for 61 deliveries; and in Sydney, he chipped in with 42 during India's marathon 622/7 declared. It was not glamour batting; it was a hold-the-line effort.
Currently, he is not part of India's Test squad. Vihari has moved on in the domestic circuit, signing with Tripura for the 2025-26 season after leaving Andhra.
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6. Ishant Sharma
In one ball, Ishant Sharma turned the series mood into a meme: first over, Finch's stumps flying, India instantly on top. He finished that series as a key support act in India's fast-bowling quartet, taking 11 wickets in three Tests, the kind of hard overs that don't always get the biggest headlines, but win you matches.
Ishant has been part of the IPL ecosystem and is now a member of the Gujarat Titans squad. The India caps have disappeared, but the skillset, hit the deck, hold and end, create chaos with bounce - still sells.
7. Mohammed Shami
If Pujara was the spine, Mohammed Shami was the punch. He took 16 wickets in the series, including a five-for in Adelaide, and consistently brought that “something's happening” feel even when the ball looked dead. Australia's batters never quite got to cruise because Shami's pace and seam always threatened them.
Shami is still a headline bowler, but the present situation is complicated: he was left out of India's ODI squad for the New Zealand series starting January 11, 2026, despite the ongoing debate surrounding the decision.
What that 2018-19 team looks like in hindsight
The simplest takeaway is not that the heroes have dispersed. It’s how they have dispersed. Some left, some were managed into selective usage, some converted into franchise leadership, and some fought their way into relevance through adaptability. And that is exactly what a landmark team does to a sport: it changes what comes next, then fades as the next version arrives.
If January 7, 2019, was the day India’s Australian dream became a confirmed reality, then January 7, 2026, is the day you realise that win now belongs to history.
