Top-six needs to deliver big innings

Since the New Zealand tour, India have had just one individual century in seven Tests

Indian batsmen in Tests since Feb 21, 2020

In the aftermath of England’s thumping win in the opening Test in Chennai, there have been a few murmurs about vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane and senior batsman Rohit Sharma’s poor runs with the bat.

Excluding his century in the Melbourne Test, which India won after a humiliating loss in Adelaide and which catalysed an epic 2-1 series triumph, Rahane’s scores in his last five Tests read 42, 0, 27*, 22, 4, 37, 24, 1 and 0. That accrues to a grand total of 157 runs at an underwhelming average of 19.2 runs per innings. Add 91 runs from four innings in New Zealand, the last Test series before the Covid-19 outbreak stopped all cricket engagements, and his average outside of the MCG ton improves a shade better to stand at 20.6. And even if you throw in the match-winning 112 in Melbourne, he averages a modest 27.69 in his last seven Tests, well below a career average of 41.79.

Rohit’s numbers are no better, either. The last six innings have netted him 26, 52, 44, 7, 6 and 12; add his two innings against Bangladesh at home, and the last eight hits have yielded a poor 174 at 21.75.

Fun fact: Mayank Agarwal, who had two double-centuries and one century in the two series at home against South Africa and Bangladesh, was dropped for the Sydney Test after failing in four Tests in the southern hemisphere – two each in New Zealand and Australia.

This is not to say that Rohit, Rahane and Agarwal are all in the same league. The two Mumbaikars are proven performers, but this motley trio’s lean patch is symptomatic of India’s top and middle-order batting (Nos. 1-6) from the two-Test series in New Zealand in February-March last year. Exceptional performances from a couple of batsmen, complemented by gutsy lower-order batting, may have glossed over the shortcomings in Australia, but they stood exposed in telling fashion during the defeat to England last week.

In their last seven Tests starting from New Zealand last year, India’s top-six has managed a measly 2,305 runs at fewer than 30 runs per innings (see the table). The lower order - batsmen from 7-11 - hasn’t fared too badly in comparison, collecting 700 runs at 15.55. Given that India has had a long tail in a majority of these matches with the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma and newbies Mohammed Siraj, Navdeep Saini and T Natarajan in the mix, it has given a reasonably good account of itself.

Solitary century

The most disappointing stat, however, has to be the solitary century – Rahane’s - in these seven Tests and 14 innings. The lack of big individual scores, which in turn can spawn multiple substantial partnerships, is the primary reason behind India’s run of middling to poor team totals. Out of these seven games, their most prolific Test batsman and skipper, Virat Kohli, missed three of them in Australia. But one may also argue that he was still available in four other matches where his only significant knocks were 74 and 72 in Adelaide and Chennai respectively.

That India’s average for the top-six is only better than much lower-ranked West Indies, Pakistan and Zimbabwe for the same period puts their performance in perspective in a damning indictment of a line-up never short of hype.

Bangladesh top the averages at 53.17 but they have played just two matches. The finalists of the inaugural Test Championship, New Zealand, have played one Test less than India but their top six average over 48 runs, bolstered by five hundreds.

The second-placed team in the race for the final, England, average an impressive 44.39 with seven hundreds.

That said, it’s not an alarming situation for India. They still have the men, the means and matches in hand to set this anomaly right. But the process must start now.