Team India’s away Test record has miles to improve yet

Team India had a disappointing start to 2018 on the cricket field as they were humbled by a depleted South Africa by 72 runs in the opening Test of the three-game series in Cape Town inside four days. It was a rare occurrence over the past few years since India have been playing really solid Test cricket of late.

However, after the Cape Town loss, the old question of “how good are India abroad?” has returned to haunt Virat Kohli’s men. They have remained unbeaten in 10 series (including two one-off Tests versus Bangladesh) since their 0-2 loss against Australia in the away series of 2014-15 but yet after their batsmen failed to deliver on a lively South African wicket, it seems things have gone back to square one.

Of the last nine series that India have won at a stretch, four have been outside home and one outside the subcontinent. Does it say enough that the Indians are still not a force in away games?

Overall, they have played 519 Tests since 1932 of which they have won 143 and lost 159 while 216 games have been drawn and one tied. The success percentage has gone up to 41.61 from 25.85 when India played their 500th Test in 2016 because of the latest flurry of victories (21 wins in 32 Tests; three losses and eight draws) but when asked qualitatively, how much has the performance abroad improved over the years?

India’s Test performance: 1932-1986

It’s not that India’s performance abroad hasn’t seen better days at all. Compared to what it was for the first 54 years (between 1932 when India played their first Test till 1986 when world champions Kapil’s Devils beat the English 2-0 in their den), things improved by far in the later years.

Between 1932 and 1986, for example, they had won just 13 games abroad compared to 50 losses and 45 draws (success percentage of 12.03). Their record at home around the same time comprised 28 victories, 33 losses and an overwhelming 73 draws (success percentage of 20.89)!

India in Tests: 1986-2006

In the next 20 years when the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly – with whom a pattern of street-smart captaincy started – India bettered their record abroad with 15 wins, 33 losses and 38 draws (success percentage of 17.44).

At home around the same period, their win-loss-draw record stood at 34-14-21 (success percentage of 49.27). This was the phase when India had turned real tigers at home (mainly during the decade-long captaincy of Mohammad Azharuddin) and they followed it up with some memorable victories in the early 2000s when Ganguly took over as the captain.

India in Tests since 2006

Since 2006 till date, the Indians have played 116 Test matches, winning 52, losing 30 and drawing 34 (success percentage 49.05). Of these, they have played 56 games abroad, winning 17, losing 21 and drawing 18 (success percentage 30.35 which is more 2.5 times of what it was in the first five decades). However, one must keep in account the fact that they did not do as well in countries like Australia and England, losing two series 0-4 in each of those countries.

On the home front, the Men in Blue did remarkably well in the 2006-18 period (till the first Test at Cape Town versus South Africa), winning 35 of 60 games (success percentage of 58.33) while losing just 9 and drawing 16. The record saw a particular boost during the captaincy of Kohli who sailed his team undefeated through six consecutive home series.

There is no doubt that their record abroad has improved by far but the fans also need to keep in mind that India are yet to win series in Australia (where their best performance has been a couple of 1-1 draws and a 2-3 loss) and South Africa (where they have drawn a series 1-1 and lost one 1-2 despite taking an early lead). In England, too, India have not done well in their last two visits (losing 0-4 in 2011 and 1-3 in 2014).

They have done well in Sri Lanka and the West Indies (winning the last two away series in both countries) and produced a mixed performance in New Zealand (winning and losing one away series each).

Team India’s first-ever away series victory had come only in 1967, 35 years after they started playing cricket when Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi’s men defeated the Kiwis 3-1 on their turf. It’s been 50 years since they achieved that feat but apart from a few memorable victories in between, they are yet to shed their ill reputation abroad completely.

India’s away performances in the last 10 years