Team India’s Test win percentage in SENA nations surges to 34.61% in last 5 years — Up from 14.19% earlier.
In the last five years, Team India’s performance in Test cricket in South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Australia (SENA) has improved. The mindset has changed over the years, as they look more balanced with the bat and ball. It came through the captain and coach relationship of Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri while others have followed the path.
They won some notable series including the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2018/19 and 2020/21. This was next to impossible in the past decades for the Blue Brigade. However, they did it twice in successive trips. They also drew two successive red-ball series in England.
India’s Test performance in SENA countries since Jul 2020
Till June 2020, India have played 155 Test matches in SENA countries. But they earned just 83 victories during that period with a win percentage of just 14.19.
However, the record has gotten better in the last five years. Since July 2020, the two-time WTC runners-up have featured in 26 red-ball fixtures in SENA countries and won in nine of them at a winning rate of 34.61%.
Read More: Where does ATT 2025 rank amongst the list of most exciting Test series involving India?
India’s performance in SENA countries till 31 June 2020
India’s performance in SENA countries since 01 Jul 2020
There hasn’t been a huge change in the batting department during the two periods. Till June 2020, the Blue Brigade had an average of 28.77, which has increased to 29.14 since July 2020.
But there is a significant movement in the bowling performance. One of the issues for India in the SENA Tests was their failure to pick 20 wickets with the ball in the past. But they have improved their ability in the last five years.
Till the end of June 2020, they picked up 2213 wickets at an average of 38.19 in SENA Tests. But since July 2020, they have bagged 421 wickets in 26 games at an average of 31.57.
With the bat, the best performer has been Rishabh Pant since July 2020. The left-handed batter has smashed 1588 runs in 38 innings at an average of 44.11, scoring four centuries and eight half-centuries with the best score of 146 runs. Even Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, and Ravindra Jadeja have also maintained an average of over 40 in this period.
Read More: Moments which made ATT 2025 a really close fought series
India’s batters’ performance since 01 Jul 2020 in SENA countries
With the ball, Jasprit Bumrah has been the leading wicket-taker with 104 scalps in 40 innings in SENA Tests. His average is just over 20 with eight five-wicket hauls. Mohammed Siraj is second on the list with 91 wickets at an average of over 31.
Read More: Border-Gavaskar Trophy: Top 5 performances by India batters over the last 10 years in Australia
India’s pace bowlers’ performance since 01 Jul 2020 in SENA countries
From Virat Kohli to Rohit Sharma to Shubman Gill- India’s strong mindset in SENA Tests continues
During the captain-coach partnership of Virat Kohli and Shastri, their biggest aim was to pick 20 wickets in Tests. They made it very clear at the start of their tenure that, irrespective of the conditions, they will work with five bowlers. Even if that means going with a thin batting line-up, then so be it.
Under them, India rediscovered Ishant Sharma and enhanced the skills of Mohammed Shami. Umesh Yadav got better with his expressive pace as Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj came into the squad later on. Apart from that, they also didn’t mind going for the chases.
Winning was always at the top of the list for Kohli, which saw the Blue Brigade losing a few games. But that grew the winning mindset. On his very first Test as a leader, India fell short of Australia in Adelaide during BGT 2014-15 by 48 runs. Chasing 363 was always going to be a hard job, but they went for it from the first ball of the fifth day.
When Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid replaced them, they shouldered the same thought process. The generation changed, but the mindset remained the same. Under the young captain, Shubman Gill, India lost the opening Leeds Test against England in a 370+ defense. A week later, they threw a 600+ run challenge at Edgbaston.
Over the years, various skillful players joined the side. And they are the pillar of Indian cricket’s Test success in SENA countries. The young group of players, including Gill, Rishabh Pant, and Washington Sundar, is flamboyant and is always prepared to take on the bowlers.
There were a few conservative approaches in the team selection of the England tour. But at the end of the day, it has worked. So, the plans to earn success have perhaps changed, but the mindset remains the same.
Read More: Why BCCI needs to expand the fast bowling contract
