Jasprit Bumrah v Travis Head

Perhaps the most box-office battle of the entire series – India's best bowler versus Australia's most destructive batter. They didn't have much of a straight match-up in the first Test, although Bumrah did celebrate exuberantly when he got rid of Head in Australia's (nearly impossible) run chase.

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The Australian was well and truly on top in Adelaide and Brisbane on his way to big hundreds in those two matches, before Bumrah had the last laugh in Melbourne. His second innings dismissal of Head for one was vital in giving India the faintest sniff of a win – even though they eventually went on to lose.

Mitchell Starc v Yashasvi Jaiswal

With India on top in the first Test, the young Jaiswal said Starc was bowling "too slow", as he made his way to 161, the highest score in the series. At the time, Starc only reacted with a smirk, and let the ball do the talking thereafter. Jaiswal was done in twice by Starc in Adelaide, and once more in Brisbane.

The batter was rather more restrained thereafter, but in the final Test slammed Starc for four boundaries in the first over of the third innings as India took an aggressive approach with the bat in an attempt to set a defendable total.

Scott Boland v Virat Kohli

A batter infamous for edging to slip against a bowler celebrated for machine-like accuracy. What other way could this battle have gone? Kohli first came up against Boland in Adelaide off the back of his Perth century, and promptly nicked one to keeper Alex Carey.

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Boland, relentless in his ability to operate in the channel just outside off, hit the same spot over and over and over again. An already-struggling Kohli fell victim to his own limited scoring options and some devilish seam movement – he pushed and edged again, and again, and again, three more times to record another subpar series.

Jasprit Bumrah v Usman Khawaja

Bumrah was India's lone warrior with the ball and in this series tormented Australia's openers. From the moment he came around the wicket to the southpaw Khawaja, he had him in all sorts of strife.

India's spearhead got rid of him six times in eight innings, giving the tourists early inroads. It's no coincidence that the one time Khawaja crossed fifty this series, it was when he was almost forcibly kept off strike against Bumrah by the Sam Konstas show.

Jasprit Bumrah v Nathan McSweeney

It was a baptism of fire for opener McSweeney in Test cricket, coming up against Bumrah who has been in otherworldly form since his return from injury. A naturally patient batter pushed up the order, the rookie had little answer to Bumrah.

His first four dismissals in Test cricket all came against him, and McSweeney eventually paid with his spot in the side – Australia's selectors were forced to rethink their policy, and they replaced him with Sam Konstas for the last two Tests.

Jasprit Bumrah v Sam Konstas

Konstas immediately caught the eye when he tried reverse-ramping Bumrah twice in his opening spell on Boxing Day. He was box-office, and even managed to get Bumrah away for two sixes – before the bowler struck back with a magnificent inswinger in the second innings in Melbourne.

Their battle in Sydney was brief, as Konstas charged Bumrah off the very first ball of the innings to hit him for four, before the pair were involved in a heated war of words. Not only was the battle entertaining, but for Australia it made sure they had at least one opener who wouldn't just be a sitting duck.

Pat Cummins v Rishabh Pant

If Rohit in his recent form was almost a walking wicket for Cummins, Rishabh Pant was anything but, and had the ability to take any game out of Australia's reach. Cummins may not have completely gotten on top of India's keeper, but he and his team knew exactly how they wanted to tackle him.

Cummins himself repeatedly came over the wicket to Pant, angling the ball away from the left-hander from the top of off stump. Pant hung his bat out – nicking through to keeper Alex Carey twice, and the slips cordon twice.

Scott Boland v Rishabh Pant

The only Indian who looked close to getting on top of Boland was Pant. In the pink-ball Test, he scored at a run a ball off the Victorian's bowling, and took him on in Melbourne as well (although his dismissal off a scoop prompted Sunil Gavaskar's "stupid, stupid, stupid" comment on air).

During his Sydney blitz, even as Boland ran through the rest of the lineup, Pant ran down the wicket off his first ball to hit him for six, and scored a brisk 20 off 27 balls in all against him.

Mohammed Siraj v Steve Smith

Smith rediscovered his form midway through the series with a fluent century in Brisbane, on the back of reintroducing his exaggerated trigger movement.

But even through that innings, Smith had been kept quiet by Siraj and they had an intriguing battle over the back half of the series as the bowler's natural ability to angle the ball in and take it away proved challenging for Smith. He negated Siraj during the course of his 140 in Melbourne, but fell victim to him twice – both times handing India an opening in the game.

Pat Cummins v Rohit Sharma

Rohit had a torrid tour, both on and off the field. With the bat, his tormentor was his opposite number. He only batted five times in the series – once getting out before he could face Cummins but falling to him on all of the other occasions.

The closest he ever looked to surviving was in the fourth innings in Melbourne, where Rohit made the most patient of nines. But even that restraint wasn't enough for him to make it through.

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