Australia vs India 2018-19, Test series – Statistical Preview

The Border-Gavaskar Trophy between Australia, who are running behind restoring their pride and India, who are hoping to create history down under, will start on December 6. The Aussies, who are yet to win any International series since the ball-tampering saga, will be hoping to give a tough fight for the No.1 ranked Test side. The visitors, on the other hand, will be eyeing to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy that too with their maiden Test series win in Australia.

Here we look at all the key stats and major numbers ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2018/19:

2 – Parthiv Patel and Rishabh Pant are the only left-handed wicketkeepers to represent India in International cricket. Both the players are part of the current Indian Test squad for this Australia series.

21.1 – Shaun Marsh’s batting average of 21.1 in Australia-India Tests is the lowest for any specialist batsman (Min: 20 innings). The left-hander has scored 422 runs in 20 innings against India in Tests with four fifties and the same number of ducks.

33.13 – Australian pacers have a collective bowling average of 33.13 in 2018. This is the lowest Test bowling average for them in a calendar year in 32 years. The Aussie fast bowlers have so far claimed 75 wickets across seven Tests played in 2018.

38.44 – The batting average of 38.44 in Test matches in Australia since December 2014 is the highest in any country. The next best batting average in this period is 34.80 across six Tests in Zimbabwe. In the 21 Tests hosted by Australia, a total of 62 individual centuries were recorded which are easily the most in any country in this period.

49 – Ravindra Jadeja has taken 49 wickets in only eight Test matches at a bowling average of 18.02. No other bowler has taken more wickets at a better average than Jadeja in Australia-India Test matches. However, the left-arm spinner is yet to feature in a Test on the Australian soil.

98.5 – Virat Kohli has a batting average of 98.5 in Test cricket at the Adelaide Oval. The Indian skipper scored 394 across two matches at this venue including three centuries. Only Sunil Gavaskar (4 in Port of Spain) and Sachin Tendulkar (4 in SSC, Colombo) have scored more than three Test tons at an away venue for India.

132 – The Indian pacers have collectively claimed 132 wickets in only 11 Test matches in 2018. These are the most number of wickets in a calendar year for Indian pacers surpassing the 126 wickets scalped in 1979. They have a bowling average of 24.18 and strike-rate of 46.7 in 2018.

992 – Virat Kohli has scored 992 runs in Tests down under across 16 innings at an average of 62 with five centuries and two fifties. Among visiting players, only Ken Barrington (1046 at 69.73) and Herbert Sutcliffe (1529 at 63.70) have scored more runs at a better average in Australia than Kohli.