Dhawan vs Kohli vs Sharma: Who is the best ODI player at home?

The trio of Shikhar, Virat & Rohit have been India’s consistent match-winners off late

In ODI cricket, it is often seen that the top order of any team is its biggest strength. Over the years, the batting giants of ODI teams have slowly moved from the middle order to the top order. The fact is evident in many teams - David Warner and Steve Smith for Australia, Joe Root for England and Brendon McCullum and Kane Williamson for New Zealand.

The case for India is no different. Over the past two or three years, the bulk of India’s scoring has been done by three men - Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli. While players like MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, and Ajinkya Rahane have played their part, it is the triumvirate of Dhawan-Rohit-Kohli that has led India to victory in most cases, particularly at home.

Of the three, Rohit has been on the arena the longest. Introduced into India’s wobbling middle order during the 2008 CB Series in Australia, he put in a couple of good performances which made him a good contender as a regular in the side. Though he had lean patches in following series against Sri Lanka and later in the Asia Cup, a couple of centuries in Zimbabwe paved the way for his return once more.

With both Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir out of favor, he moved up the order to the opener’s slot which he has since made his own. If there was any doubt as to whether he would succeed in his new venture, his twin double-centuries laid it to rest.

If Rohit is the oldest player by international experience, Shikhar is older in terms of domestic experience. After making his debut for Delhi in 2004, he had to wait for six years to get his chance in the international side. But he failed to make a mark, getting out for a duck.

Three years later, in 2013, he got a chance to play Australia in the Third test of the Border-Gavaskar Series and this time around he made it count with a tearaway 187, making him the fastest centurion on debut. He then had two terrific series - a home series against Australia and then the Champions Trophy, where his consistent performances earned India a series of victories.

Though he fell into a rut away from home, he came back strongly with centuries in the 2015 World Cup. Along with Rohit, Dhawan forms one of the most dangerous opening combinations in the world.

Virat has simply been India’s best player over the past few years. Scoring runs at a phenomenal rate, breaking record after record and recently leading India to a series win in Sri Lanka after 22 years, Virat has all the makings of a future legend of the game.

After a moderate debut series in Sri Lanka, Virat came of age in the home series against the same team in 2009. Scoring 54 and 107 in consecutive matches, he showed his maturity and class while chasing down big scores, at the same time being able to keep a level head in pressure situations.

While his behavior made the news for the wrong reasons, there was nothing wrong about his batting. He scored five scores of fifty and above in consecutive innings, underlining his importance to the team.

He moved up the order and met with more success, becoming the fastest Indian to reach 1000 ODI runs in the process. He was also the highest scorer for India in five consecutive calendar years, becoming India’s most dependable batsman in recent times.

With the tour of South Africa upon us, India will need to dig deep if they are to overcome the mighty Proteas in the ODIs - and these three will have to do most of the scoring. Since it is on familiar grounds, India will have a sense of relief, but they must be careful it does not turn into complacency. Looking at the last five years at home, India will think they have a good chance of winning the series.

Let us take a look of who, among India’s three top-order batsmen, is the best at home in ODIs.

Overall Numbers at Home

Player	Matches	Runs	Average	Best	100/50s
Shikhar Dhawan	16	830	55.33	119	3/5
Rohit Sharma	28	1443	65.59	264	3/7
Virat Kohli	58	2599	55.29	139*	9/15

The overall numbers do throw out some interesting numbers. First up, it is evident that Shikhar has played less than 20 matches at home, which would make it difficult to compare him with the other two, both of whom have played much more. But Shikhar has impressed, scoring 830 runs at an excellent average of 55.33. His fifty-to-hundred conversion rate is also good.

But perhaps the most telling statistic is that he has eight scores of fifty or more in sixteen innings at home. If Shikhar scores fifty or more in half the matches he plays, that ensures that India get a strong start and make good headway in the game.

Rohit’s career only really took off in the last two years, despite him making his debut in 2008. His two double centuries - 209 against Australia and 264 against Sri Lanka - resurrected the downward spiral he was in, and he has never looked back.

He boasts the best average among the three - 65.59, which is the second best ever average at home in the history of ODI cricket, with a minimum of 10 matches played. Though Rohit has been guilty of throwing away plenty of good starts, he has played well in times of pressure and led the team over the finishing line.

Rohit has the second-best average by any player at home in ODIs (minimum 10 matches played)

While opening, Rohit averages 85.36 at home, which is the best for India at home by an opener who has played a minimum of ten matches. Yet to play an ODI at home in 2015, Rohit will be itching to take on the South African attack on the grounds he favors so much.

Virat’s numbers are perhaps the most complete of the three. He has played enough matches at home to be properly quantified and has scored runs at a very consistent average of 55.29. His 24 scores of fifty or more in 58 matches – or 41.3% is much more impressive when taken into account that India have won 19 of those matches. Kohli also leads the charts in terms of number of centuries scored since 2008, but Hashim Amla is close behind him.

It must also be mentioned that India has never lost when Kohli has scored a century at home, and he will be anxious to keep it that way. Kohli will know that South Africa is the only test playing nation against whom he is yet to score an ODI century, and he will want to make that right as soon as possible.

ODI Average against each country at Home (Excluding Bangladesh as none have faced them in India)

Country	Shikhar Dhawan		Rohit Sharma		Virat Kohli
	Matches	Average	Matches	Average	Matches	Average
Australia	7	47.33	7	98.40	10	75.14
England	-	-	6	34.25	11	54.12
New Zealand	-	-	2	44.00	5	58.50
Pakistan	-	-	2	28.00	4	5.50
South Africa	-	-	1	48.00	4	29.66
Sri Lanka	3	94.33	2	136.50	10	69.00
West Indies	6	43.83	8	56.14	12	63.36

Shikhar’s ODI prowess has been limited by the fact that he has played in a period where India mostly toured other teams. He has only played against three teams at home in his career so far, but his performances against each of them have been very good.

He has scored a century against each team - 100 against Australia, 113 against Sri Lanka and 119 against West Indies, with strike rates of 90+ against all of them. Though Shikhar hasn’t played enough ODI games in India, he has a ton of experience playing overseas, and India will hope that he uses them to full effect while the touring South Africans clash against them in a high-stake ODI series.

Though Rohit has played against all the test playing nations at home, it is still too soon to make anything of those numbers. He has a 48.00 average against South Africa, but that is only after playing a single match. His best comes against Sri Lanka, but that again is only after two matches.

The only teams he has relatively faced the most are Australia and West Indies, against both of whom he has good averages. He has four half-centuries against West Indies in eight matches while has two half-centuries and a century - which later became a double-century – against Australia in seven matches.

Perhaps the biggest factor against Rohit is that he only has centuries against Australia and Sri Lanka and is yet to score any against all of the other teams. This can be attributed to the fact that he has not played enough against them, but it is still a point against him. His lowest averages come against England and Pakistan, and he has only scored 137 runs in 6 games against the former.

Once again, Virat’s numbers are well-rounded when compared to his teammates. Virat also has played against all test playing nations at home, but the biggest difference between him and Rohit is that Kohli has scored centuries against five of them. Indeed, it is the two teams against whom he has the worst average - Pakistan and New South Africa that he is yet to score an ODI century.

Virat’s averages against each team are off the charts, especially with a 75.14 against Australia, who are currently ranked Number 1 in ODIs. He also has an excellent 54.12 against England and 58.50 against New Zealand. To top it off, his second best average has been against fellow sub-continent team Sri Lanka, against whom he fares 69.00 in 10 matches at home.

Virat has a 50+ average against 5 out of the top 7 teams at home

The biggest blemish in Virat’s ODI stats is obvious - his performances against South Africa and Pakistan. While it can be partially attributed to him playing a low number of matches against them both, nothing justifies a player of his caliber to have an average of 5.50 against Pakistan.

Similarly, an average of just 29.66 against South Africa does no justice to his skills, and he will be anxious to set it right in the coming series. With a Pakistan tour to India unlikely in the coming years, Virat will have to wait a little longer before trying to improve his home record against them.

But even after all that’s been said and done, the real worth of a player can only be determined by how much they contribute towards a team winning. Let’s take a look at how many matches that India has won when each batsman has scored fifty runs or more:

Statistics in ODI Victories at Home:

Player	Matches won	Runs	Average	Best	100/50s
Shikhar Dhawan	11	698	63.45	119	3/4
Rohit Sharma	18	1165	89.61	264	3/5
Virat Kohli	41	2168	67.75	139*	9/10

Shikhar’s numbers are solid when it comes to winning matches. Out of the 16 matches he has played at home, he has been a part of the winning side in 11 of these occasions. Among those 11, he has scored fifty or more in seven occasions, or 63.63%.

His average of 63.45 is also very good for an opener as they are the players on whom the entire team is most dependent. Shikhar prefers to chase than bat first, as his average while batting second rises to 69.85 when compared to 52.25 batting first.

It is also interesting to note that Shikhar has done his best when not facing the first ball of the match - the only time he has done so at home, he got out for a two-ball duck.

Shikhar has won 11 ODIs at home, and has scored 50 or above in 7 of them

It is no surprise to see Rohit’s average so high, especially considering the double-centuries that he has scored. It is also no surprise that Rohit’s batting average in wins at home is the highest by any player in the history of the game (minimum 10 matches played).

Out of 28 matches that Rohit has played at home, he has won in 18 of those. In those 18, he has made scores of fifty or more on 8 occasions, or 44.44%. While his percentage of contribution in wins might be relatively less, he has made these runs at a healthy strike rate of 105, which is much higher than his overall strike rate of 83.

Unlike Shikhar who prefers to chase, Rohit prefers batting first - his average, when put into bat, is 107.00, much higher than his 78.75 while chasing. Apart from the opener’s position, Rohit has also found success while batting at No. 5, scoring 233 runs in 4 games.

Virat is a genuine run machine. Among all batsmen (since 2009), Virat is second on the table of most runs scored in a winning cause at home. Virat has scored 2168 runs in 41 matches while chasing, second only to TIllakaratne Dilshan. Of these 41 matches, Kohli has scored fifty or more in 19 of those innings, which is 46.3%. What works in Kohli’s favor is that he has consistently delivered against most of the opposition teams.

Against Australia, he averages 119.00 in wins and 71.14 and 72.00 against Sri Lanka and West Indies. He also averages 82.00 against England and 58.50 against New Zealand. Though Rohit and Shikhar also have high averages against individual teams, neither have played even half the amount of matches that Virat has.

Virat is undoubtedly the master of the chase, topping the list of highest run scorers in a winning chase (since 2009). Virat has scored 1476 runs in 24 matches that India has won chasing, and has a mind-blowing 13 scores of fifty or more in them - or 54.1%. Virat’s average of 86.82 drives home the point that he is unstoppable during a chase.

Final Say

The comparison between Shikhar, Virat and Rohit brings about some interesting numbers about all three of India’s batting giants. While Shikhar has not played enough at home - just 16 matches - he has scored fifty or more in 8 of them, which is highly commendable.

In the modern day game where a good start is often crucial to take the game away from the opponent, having an opener who can score a half-century or more in half the games makes him a very valuable asset.

What India will most want from Shikhar is a clear head in the middle while facing the tough South African bowling attack. He must use all his experience playing overseas to tackle the likes of Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel at home.

Rohit leads most charts in the average section, thanks to his huge double-hundreds at home. He has the second highest average at home by any player in the history of the game, and highest in wins at home.

Perhaps Rohit’s greatest weakness is his inconsistency against certain teams, while his average is 98.40 against Australia, it drops to 34.25 against England. Though his low averages against some teams can be explained due to his lack of matches against them, he still has a lot to improve in terms of staying at the top. India will want him to not lose focus during the middle overs and give his start away, like he has done so many times in the past.

When it comes to being the best at something, Virat cannot be far off. It is the same in this case as well, as it is Virat who takes the top honours while playing at home. His consistent average against all teams, save Pakistan, firmly puts him as the best Indian player at home among the three batsmen.

With the second highest average in home chases in the last 6 years - also the highest in winning chases - Virat is the rock which supports the entire team as of now. With India playing host to all the other nations in the next couple of years, it would seem that Virat will keep his position as one of the best batsmen at home over the last few years.

Though Virat wins as the best batsman at home, it would be very unwise to count out the other to players. Shikhar has simply not played enough matches to qualify as being consistent at home, but the matches he has played, he has delivered.

On the other hand, Rohit is an extremely dangerous player in his own right, and is not to be taken lightly. While the touring South Africans will lock their targets on Virat, they would do well not to exclude the equally dangerous pair of Shikhar and Rohit.