India’s invincibility at home makes for ‘boring’ contests
Virat Kohli’s team has risen to No 1 in Tests and ODIs, but rivals have failed in India
NEWDELHI: Indian cricket is passing through a golden phase. Of the last 14 Tests at home, India have won 11, losing just one. Out of 13 ODIs, they have won nine. Virat Kohli’s side are ranked No 1 in Tests and ODIs.
They have beaten England, Australia, New Zealand and Bangladesh at home in the last year, after defeating South Africa. In ODIs, India have beaten New Zealand, England, West Indies and Australia.
The stats not only underline India’s dominance, but highlight Virat Kohli’s call before the start of the home run in October, 2016.
Before the first Test against New Zealand in Kanpur, Kohli emphasised what was required to be a champion side.
“(We need to be) doing boring things. At this level, you need to be very boring in your training, in your practice if you want to succeed,” he said.
The performances by India from the Kanpur Test against the Kiwis till the Nagpur ODI on Sunday have stuck to Kohli’s template, reducing matches to mostly one-sided affairs with little in terms of competition.
BOWLING DEPTH
Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja took 21 and 25 wickets respectively in the 2-1 Test series win over Australia in early 2017. For the ODIs, they were rested. Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav came in.
Their combined haul of 13 wickets made the difference as India won the series 4-1.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah’s skill led to Australia skipper Steve Smith labelling them “the best death bowlers in the world currently” India’s bowling depth has come through, but the inability of teams to counter have made it one-sided affairs.
Ajinkya Rahane smashed four consecutive fifties against Australia, ensuring Shikhar Dhawan’s absence was not felt. Hardik Pandya was the X-factor.
However, New Zealand, England, South Africa and Australia have not played spin well. Teams coming to India have been clueless against Ashwin, Jadeja, Kuldeep and Chahal.
In post-match press conferences, visiting captains have bemoaned the inability to play spin.
The opposition’s inability to tackle spin, as well as the death bowling by Bhuvneshwar and Jasprit Bumrah, has stood out in India’s dominance at home.
ANOTHER CHALLENGE
India’s near total domination at home – they face Australia in a T20 series before taking on New Zealand and Sri Lanka – leaves them facing another challenge.
Their overseas assignments start in early 2018. India tour South Africa in January, England in July and Australia towards the year end.
With the level of skill and depth they have, India can hope to reverse the trend of stumbling overseas, and stay ‘boring’ even away from home.