Our Australian Test Team is coming off one of the most dominant Australian summers in recent memory. At times you almost felt bad for the West Indies and the South Africans. They spent countless hours out in the field chasing leather often when they had zero chance of winning.
Our batsmen were in fine form, scoring eight centuries in five games, three of those being double tons. When walking out to bat in the 22/23 summer, our boys were averaging 394 runs an innings and in three of our five games Skipper Pat Cummins declared when our first innings total was well past 500.
Our bowlers were also top notch, on average we steamrolled the opposition line ups for just 225. While that would be an impressive park cricket score, that’s just not enough runs to play well in the big leagues.
Despite the huge success our boys had over the Summer there was one narrative repeated over and over again. “They’re playing well but they are playing in India next”, “The Aussie’s head to India in February, they’ll need all the form they can get”, “Will they be able to play like this in India?”.
Is a Tour of India actually this big scary monster that the media hype up every time we head over there, or is it no different to going and playing any tour around the world?
What comes to mind when you think of Indian Test Cricket? Flat, turning wickets with massive fissures that Tony Greig wouldn’t dream of putting his car keys in? Searingly hot days and bone dry fields where there is no escape from the sun? Thousands of the most passionate cricket fans on earth following your every move the entire tour seemingly suffocating you the second you step off the plane?
On paper, every aspect of an Indian Tour seems brutal but how have we actually stacked up the last few times we travelled over to play for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy? I decided to trawl through old scorecards and crunch some numbers to truly see if past Aussie Teams have struggled, played to the form they were in or dominated when we travelled to India.
2017
| Australian Test Summer 2016/2017 | Tour of India 2017 | |
| Series Result | 1-2 vs South Africa, 2-1 vs Pakistan | 1-2 vs India (1 Draw) |
| Australia Average Score | 308.63 | 253.12 |
| Opposition Average Score | 306.72 | 245.14 |
| Australia Top Runscorer | Steve Smith (653) | Steve Smith (499) |
| Australia Top Wicket Taker | Josh Hazelwood (32) | Nathan Lyon, Steve O’Keefe (19) |
Australia’s Test Team was last in India in 2017 after a home summer against South Africa and Pakistan. It was a very interesting era of our Test team. Over the summer many players debuted including Callum Ferguson, Joe Mennie, Nic Maddinson, Matt Renshaw, Peter Handscomb and Hilton Cartwright.
Captain Steve Smith was in red hot form over this period and lead Australia through what was a rough period for our Test side.
The Summer finished up 3-2 and despite losing a series, we were in some decent form to play India and the First Test could not have started any better. Steve O’Keefe spun Australia to victory taking his first Test 5fa and finishing with figures of 6/35 and funnily enough 6/35 in the second innings as well. SOK’s 12/70 are the best figures by an Australian v India ever.
Australia won the Test by 333 runs and it was Australia’s first Test win in India since 2004 and also the first win against India by a touring side since 2012.
I think that stat is going to spoil how the rest of this article goes.
The rest of the tour did not go Australia’s way but did they struggle? I’d say no.
Nathan Lyon took 8/50 in the second Test, Steve Smith’s 178* in the 3rd Test was an incredibly gutsy innings – The highest score by an Australian Captain in India. With his 111 in the 4th Test Steve Smith became the first Australian to score three centuries in a series in India.
Despite losing the series, I’d say Australia played to their expectations in the 2017 Series.
2013
| Australian Test Summer 2012/2013 | Tour of India 2013 | |
| Series Result | 0-1 vs South Africa (2 Draws), 3-0 vs Sri Lanka | 0-4 vs India |
| Australia Average Score | 403.11 | 255.75 |
| Opposition Average Score | 264 | 356.67 |
| Australia Top Runscorer | Michael Clarke (892) | Michael Clarke (286) |
| Australia Top Wicket Taker | Peter Siddle (24) | Nathan Lyon (15) |
It was the Summer of Michael Clarke in 2012/13. He opened the Summer with a 259* at the Gabba, 230 in Adelaide and 106 at the MCG. Despite losing a series 0-1 to South Africa the Australians were in incredible form before their trip to India. The only question mark surrounding the Australian side was the ability of our bowling outfit.
Our bowlers who boarded the flight to India consisted of Jackson Bird, Xavier Doherty, Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Lyon, James Pattinson, Peter Siddle and a young Mitchell Starc. Despite their being some household names in that squad now. It wasn’t quite the case in 2012.
Skipper Michael Clarke got us off to a great start in the first Test. He topped scored with 130 in the first dig while we were dismissed for 380, India then proceeded to inflict the hurt, scoring 572 runs in only 20 more overs than the Aussie’s faced.
It was essentially how the tour continued to go. India were all over our bowling attack and things went from bad to worse after the infamous “Homeworkgate” saga that saw Vice Captain Shane Watson, James Pattinson, Mitchell Johnson and Usman Khawaja all made ineligible to play after failing to submit an assignment to then Coach Mickey Arthur.
It’s very safe to say Australia struggled on this tour of India, Clarke’s 130 in the first innings of the tour was the only triple figure score in the four games and despite winning the toss in all four games. Australia could not implement their own game plans and were bullied out of every game.
Did Australia struggle? Yes.
2010
| Australian Test Summer 2010/2011 | Tour of India 2010 | |
| Series Result | 1-3 vs England (1 Draw) | 0-2 vs India |
| Australia Average Score | 263.1 | 330.25 |
| Opposition Average Score | 409.14 | 330.75 |
| Australia Top Runscorer | Michael Hussey (570) | Shane Watson (271) |
| Australia Top Wicket Taker | Mitchell Johnson (15) | Mitchell Johnson (8) |
Australia travelled to India in October 2010 before the Ashes and it quite possibly could’ve been the tour that played us out of form. It was the post Shane Warne era and Australia was struggling to find an adequate spin replacement for the great man.
Nathan Hauritz was the tweaker the Aussie’s rolled out in this two test series and he really struggled, even Marcus North got 12 overs! Australia allowed India to score 600+ runs in both games of that tour and that made things very hard for the tourists.
Australia then travelled back home for the 2010/11 Ashes Series against England and things went from bad to worse. Sir Alastair Cook and Jimmy Anderson ran riot that tour. Cook scored 766 and Anderson cleaned up with 24 wickets.
Australia certainly struggled to take wickets in this series but their batting was not a problem at all. The struggles came after this series and I believe it ruined their confidence.
2008
| Australian Test Summer 2008/09 | Tour of India 2008 | |
| Series Result | 2-0 vs New Zealand, 1-2 vs South Africa | 0-2 vs India (2 Draws) |
| Australia Average Score | 339.33 | 323.14 |
| Opposition Average Score | 274.2 | 359.62 |
| Australia Top Runscorer | Michael Clarke (600) | Michael Hussey (394) |
| Australia Top Wicket Taker | Mitchell Johnson (31) | Mitchell Johnson (13) |
Similar to 2010, Australia played their tour of India before the Summer of 2008/09. There wasn’t many players remaining from the 2006/07 Invincibles side that whitewashed England; Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke, Matthew Hayden, Mike Hussey, Stuart Clark and Brett Lee were all that remained. Australia was looking to the future and were in a very large rebuilding stage.
Australia took 3 spinners to India in hope of finding that Shane Warne replacement. Cameron White, Jason Krejza and Bryce McGain all got overs in the 2008 tour but once again Australia failed to pick up a win. Rain and bad light ruined our chances of a win in the first test despite scoring 600+ and then India were far too good the rest of the series.
Despite struggling in India, Australia returned to home soil and dominated against the Kiwis, South Africa really tested this rebuilding Aussie side with one of their best ever and Australia’s performances overall reflected the transitioning period the side was in. The lack of depth in the spin department post Shane Warne really reared it’s ugly head in this period and despite Krejza’s famous 8/215, Australia couldn’t keep up the conditions in the sub continent.
So has Australia struggled in India?
Our record isn’t great over there but would I say we’ve struggled? Not really.
I think our performances each time we have been over to India reflect the over arching landscape of Australian Cricket at the time.
It’s no secret that the conditions in India favour spin bowling and for a very long time, Australia struggled to find a decent replacement for Shane Warne and our bowling figures Post-Warne, Pre-Lyon really show how much we struggled to dismiss India.
Australia’s batting has been fairly consistent over the last 15 years, 2013 being a bit of an asterisk on that statement but once again that was a very grim period for Australia’s batting stock.
I’m coming into this tour with a lot of confidence. This is the most consistently talented squad we’ve taken over to India in quite some time and hopefully the monster performances we put on in our backyard this Summer will turn into overseas runs as well.