India vs England: Stats show rank turners could be a disaster for Rohit Sharma and Co
India vs England: Stats show rank turners could be a disaster for Rohit Sharma and Co
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India’s backs are against the walls after a stunning defeat against England at Hyderabad in the first Test. England are 1-0 up in the five-match series and the latest defeat was only the sixth loss for India since 2011. Let’s us recollect that mind-blogging stat. In a whopping 56 Tests, India have only lost six Tests in over one decade.
In fact three of the six defeats have come since 2021 and only three were registered in the years between 2011 and 2020. Still, the defeat to England is nothing less than a warning of danger. 13 years back, it was England who handed India their last Test series defeat in India when the Three Lions won in Mumbai by 10 wickets and by seven wickets in Kolkata to hand India a 2-1 defeat in a four-match series.
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Since then, India lost to Australia at Pune by 333 runs in 2017, to England by 227 runs in Chennai in 2021 and again to Australia by nine wickets at Indore in 2023 before losing at Hyderabad.
Team India, under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma and leadership of coach Rahul Dravid, are determined to come back in the Test series and protect their proud home record and in such a mission, the hosts are expected to opt for rank turners in the upcoming matches to give their spin bowlers added advantage.
One of the major reasons for India’s defeat at Hyderabad was Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja going flat in the second innings at Hyderabad. However, if India opt for pitches which assist spinners more than what we saw in Hyderabad, it can also spell doom for the home team.
The reason being their past record since 2011.
While Indian batters are known as excellent players of spin, the data shows that the modern days cricketers are not of the same ilk. The most stunning stat that exposes this reality is that whenever it has spun viciously in a match in India, the home team has gone on to lose the Test.
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The average turn for spinners in 41 Tests wins for India in India since 2011 has been recorded at 3.7 degrees and in the five defeats before the Hyderabad loss, the average turn was 4.3 degrees. The average turn for spinners in Hyderabad Test was 4.2 degrees. The stats show that when the ball spins more, India wins less and loses more.
At Hyderabad, debutant Tom Hartley took nine wickets including seven in the second innings as top Indian batters surrendered to the spin. With Virat Kohli missing and now KL Rahul injured, India are set for another trial by spin and a rank turner will only complicate the matter.
