When Usman Khawaja walked out to bat in Galle for the first Test against Sri Lanka, there was more than just a century at stake. This was the same ground where, in 2016, he had endured one of the lowest moments of his career. Bowled twice by Dilruwan Perera on a single day, including once without offering a shot, he was dropped for the next Test. At that point, Khawaja’s Test average in Asia stood at lower than 20, reinforcing the perception that he was a batter who struggled against spin.
Fast forward to 2025, and Khawaja’s numbers in Asia since 2018 tell a completely different story: an average of 83.87, second only to Joe Root in terms of total runs among non-Asian batters in this time frame, but with a significantly better average. In fact, his batting average in Asia since 2018 is better than anyone else in the world with a minimum of 1000 runs. His transformation wasn’t overnight—it was years in the making, beginning right after that disastrous tour of Sri Lanka.
| Player | Innings in Asia | Runs | Average | 100s |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Usman Khawaja | 20 | 1342 | 83.87 | 5 |
| Saud Shakeel | 26 | 1445 | 62.82 | 4 |
| Yashasvi Jaiswal | 19 | 1091 | 60.61 | 2 |
| Dimuth Karunaratne | 57 | 3069 | 56.83 | 8 |
| Rishabh Pant | 24 | 1209 | 54.95 | 2 |
| Babar Azam | 52 | 2479 | 52.74 | 8 |
| Kane Williamson | 22 | 1006 | 50.3 | 3 |
The wake-up call came soon after the 2016 Test series, during an ODI tour of Sri Lanka. He watched his teammate George Bailey effectively employ the reverse sweep and decided he needed to develop new ways to score.
“I remember watching George Bailey hit reverse sweeps during that ODI series and be really effective,” Khawaja said according to cricket.com.au. “That’s the first time in my life I started practicing reverse sweeps.”
It wasn’t an instant success. Khawaja struggled in that series, making scores of 0 and 6. When he was recalled to Australia’s Test side, a poor tour of Bangladesh in 2017—where he scored 1 and 1 in Dhaka—resulted in him being dropped again. But instead of retreating into self-doubt, he began to work on his game against spin relentlessly.
Back home, Khawaja spent a year training on rough, spinning practice wickets, learning to use his feet more effectively and developing sweeps and reverse sweeps to manipulate the field.
The reverse sweep was central to his transformation. Data tells us that between 2011 and 2017, Khawaja reverse swept just three balls of spin. He was determined to make this shot his primary weapon against spin.
His dedication paid off during an Australia A tour of India in 2018, where he was the leading run-scorer in the limited-overs leg and hit a century in the Bengaluru unofficial Test.
That earned him another chance in the UAE later that year, where he played one of the defining innings of his career. Against Pakistan in Dubai, he scored 85 in the first innings before grinding out a match-saving 141 across nearly ten hours in the second innings. It was the moment he proved to himself—and to the selectors—that he could not only survive in subcontinental conditions but thrive.
His success wasn’t just technical—it was also mental. “I always felt I was playing for my spot every time on the subcontinent,” he admitted. But new head coach Justin Langer gave him confidence. “Langer said, ‘Uzzie, I’ve seen you play spin. You smack spin all the time. I know you can do it.’ That was the first time a coach backed me completely.”
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Since that Dubai innings, Khawaja has consistently dominated spin attacks in Asia. His adaptability has made him one of Australia’s most reliable batters in these conditions. His strategy is simple: keep finding ways to score instead of just surviving.
“I understand what Steve Smith is trying to say about parking your ego,” Khawaja said before the 2025 Sri Lanka tour. “Getting beaten on the outside of your bat can hurt your ego, but if you try to cover that ball, you leave yourself exposed to others.”
That clarity was evident in his latest century in Galle, where he finished Day 1 on 147 not out. It was his 16th Test hundred but, more significantly, his first since 2023, ending a 19-month drought. And not for the first time, the reverse sweeps and aggression against spin stood out.
Khawaja also credits his personal growth for his resurgence. “There’s a lot more to life than just cricket, but I still love playing. I’ll always try my best, train hard. But, you know, the big man up there has control over everything, so at some level, I kind of let go of it too.”
Now 38, Khawaja is also keen to pass on his knowledge. During Australia’s pre-tour camp in Dubai, he made it a point to guide younger batters like Sam Konstas and Nathan McSweeney.
“I don’t want them to take five, six years to figure out what I did,” he said. “We had great sessions in Dubai where I shared little things that helped me. If they want to take it, they take it. If they don’t, they don’t. But that’s how the game evolves.”
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