10 lifeless performances by Indian bowlers in last 5 years

India’s struggles to pick up wickets outside home conditions seem to be never ending, with the bowlers struggling yet again to dismiss an opposition twice – this time against Australia at Adelaide in the first of the four-match Test series where they managed only 12 of the 20 opposition wickets. If one looks back, in the last five years under MS Dhoni as captain, you can easily pick up 10 lifeless performances by the Indian bowling unit. Here’s a look at them:

#10 India v South Africa, Durban, 2013

After a spirited performance in the first Test at Johannesburg, India headed to Durban for the second and final Test of the series. Batting first, the visitors were bowled for 334, and the onus was on the bowlers to strike early. But the South African opening pair of Graeme Smith and Alviro Petersen got the hosts off to a good start, putting on 103 for the first wicket before both of them were dismissed back-to-back.

But that is when Jacques Kallis and AB de Villiers started to take control. The duo added 127 for the fourth wicket and consolidated the South African innings. Following De Villiers's wicket, Kallis added fifty-run partnerships with JP Duminy and Dale Steyn to put his side in the driver's seat in the game. Even after Kallis was dismissed, the misery for the Indians continued as the South African tail inflicted more pain in a quest for quick runs.

Eventually, they were bowled out for exactly 500, and the Indian bowling card told a sorry story. Zaheer Khan bowled 28 overs and picked up just 2 wickets, giving away 97 runs. Ishant Sharma went wicketless, while Mohammed Shami picked just the lone wicket of Hashim Amla. Although Ravindra Jadeja picked up 6 wickets, he couldn’t rise to the occasion when it mattered the most.

India were then bowled out for 223 runs in their second innings as the home team won the Test by 10 wickets chasing down 58 runs.

#9 India v Sri Lanka, Galle, 2010

India took on Sri Lanka in the first Test of the three-match series, at Galle. Opting to bat first, Sri Lanka lost Tillakaratne Dilshan early to debutant Abhimanyu Mithun. But Kumar Sangakkara and Tharanga Paranavitana added 191 for the second wicket, bringing up their individual hundreds.The Sri Lankan middle and lower order then cashed in on a good pitch to hammer the Indian bowlers to all parts of the ground.

Sangakkara finally decided to declare at 520 for 8. The Indian bowling card looked anything but good, with all the bowlers getting smashed. Ishant Sharma went for 145 runs in 28 overs and picked up only 2 wickets. Despite his 4 scalps, Mithun had a pretty poor debut conceding at nearly 5 runs per over. Harbhajan Singh bowled 30 wicketless overs and went for 98 runs, while Pragyan Ojha gave away 115 runs in the 28 runs he bowled.

The Lankan bowlers got the visitors all out for 276 and 338 in their two innings as a target of 95 was then chased down with ease in 14.1 overs by the openers.

#8 India v England, Nottingham, 2011

India had taken a 67-run first innings lead in the second Test of the four-match series against England. The bowlers had bowled well in the first innings and were expected to put in a similar performance in the second. But, with the pitch flattened out considerably, the England batsmen piled on the runs with Ian Bell scoring a fine hundred and sharing a 162-run stand with Kevin Pietersen and then a 110-run stand with Eoin Morgan. The lower middle-order also had a feast against a toothless Indian attack with Tim Bresnan smashing a 118-ball 90, filled with 17 hits to the fence.

England were bowled out for 544, and the Indian bowling card cut a sorry figure. Ishant Sharma went for 131 runs in close to 30 overs. Shanthakumaran Sreesanth conceded 135 runs in 27 overs, while Praveen, despite picking up 4 wickets, went at close to 3.5 runs per over. The spinners, too, were equally ineffective. Harbhajan bowled only 9 overs due to an injury, and Dhoni had to employ the part-time off-spin of Suresh Raina, which didn't pay any dividends, either.

Set a target of 478, India lost by 319 runs.

#7 India v England, Southampton, 2014

India were cock-a-hoop heading into the third Test, at the Rose Bowl, after winning the second, at Lord’s, by 95 runs. Fast bowler Pankaj Singh was handed a debut in place of the injured Ishant Sharma as England won the toss and elected to bat first. The two openers – Alastair Cook and Sam Robson – gave their side a decent start before the latter was dismissed. As Gary Ballance joined his captain in the middle the inexperience of the Indian bowling attack began to show.

The duo put on 158 for the second wicket before Cook was dismissed five short of his hundred. But the carnage continued as Ian Bell joined the party and, along with Ballance, put on 142 runs for the third wicket. Jos Buttler scored a quick-fire 85 off 83 balls to pile on the misery before England finally declared their innings at 569 for 7. Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowled 37 overs, giving away 101 runs and picking up 3 wickets. Mohammed Shami picked up just the solitary wicket in the 33 overs that he bowled.

Pankaj Singh bowled his heart out but couldn't get a wicket in the 37 overs that he sent down, going at almost 4 runs an over; Ravindra Jadeja, on the other hand, bowled close to 46 overs, giving away 153 runs and picking up 2 wickets.

The visitors were dismissed for 330; England batted again to set a target 445 and eventually won the match by 266 runs.

#6 India v England, The Oval, 2011

India were 3-0 down and plagued with injuries in the four-match Test series against England in 2011. Rudra Pratap Singh had to be flown in to join the Indian contingent and was drafted into the team in the final match, where England won the toss and elected to bat first.

The opening pair of Alastair Cook and Andrew Strauss put on 75 for the first wicket before Ishant Sharma ended the former’s stay in the middle. Strauss followed soon, but Ian Bell and Kevin Pietersen went after the Indian bowling attack, smashing them to all corners of The Oval by putting on a 350-run partnership for the third wicket.

Bell scored a brilliant 235, while Pietersen scored 175 as the visitors were sent on a serious leather hunt. England finally declared their first innings at 591 for 7. RP Singh's inclusion backfired as he went for 118 runs in 34 wickets-less overs. S Sreesanth did pick up 3 wickets but conceded 123 runs in 29 overs. Ishant Sharma bowled 31 overs and gave away 97 runs, but it was Amit Mishra who got some serious stick especially at the hands of Pietersen, going for 170 runs in 38 overs.

The home team wasn’t required to bat again, as India were all out for 300 and 283 (following on) in their two innings respectively.

#5 India v Australia, Adelaide, 2012

India had already lost the series against Australia heading into Adelaide. With Dhoni banned, Virender Sehwag led India in the Test. It all started off well with the bowlers reducing Australia to 84 for 3. But then, just like they did in Sydney, Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke smashed the Indian bowlers to all parts of the ground and put on 36 for the fourth wicket. Clarke was dismissed for 210, but Ponting carried on, adding 50 more with Michael Hussey. The Australians finally declared at 604 for 7, thereby ending India's misery.

Zaheer Khan’s 31 overs only yielded 2 wickets for 96 runs. Umesh Yadav was once again carted to all parts, going at over 5 runs an over, and Ravichandran Ashwin bowled an astonishing 53 overs giving away 194 runs for only 3 wickets.

In reply, India were all out for 272 runs in their first innings and then for 201 when chasing a target of 500 runs on the same deck.

#4 India v South Africa, Centurion, 2010

India arrived in South Africa as the number one ranked team in the world. It promised to be a cracker of a series, with the best batting line-up in the world at that point of time facing off against the best bowling attack in the world. The South African bowlers bowled exceptionally to bowl out India for a paltry 136 in their first innings. Minus Zaheer Khan, it was always going to be an uphill task for the Indians to bowl the Proteas out.

The fast bowlers were hammered to all parts of the SuperSport Park as Hashim Amla scored 140, AB de Villiers scored a 112-ball 129 and Jacques Kallis finally took the monkey off his back scoring his first double-hundred of his Test career. Proteas declared their innings at 620 for 4.

Ishant Sharma bowled 27.2 overs and gave away 120 runs while picking up just one wicket. S Sreesanth conceded 97 runs in 24 wicketless overs, while debutant Jaydev Unadkat went for 101 runs in 26 overs. Harbhajan Singh bowled 36 overs and conceded 169 runs while taking 2 wickets.

Riding on Sachin Tendulkar’s century and MS Dhoni’s 90, India managed to put up some fight in their second innings scoring 459 runs, but even it couldn’t stop the visitors from getting defeated by an innings and 25 runs.

#3 India v Sri Lanka, Colombo, 2010

After losing the first Test, at Galle, India came to Colombo hoping to make a comeback in the series. Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat first. Tillakaratne Dilshan and Tharanga Paranavitana put on 99 for the first wicket before the former was dismissed. Kumar Sangakkara then joined with Paranavitana to put on a 174-run partnership for the second wicket.

Following the dismissal of Paranavitana for 100 off the bowling of Ishant Sharma, Mahela Jayawardene combined with Sangakkara to pile more misery on the Indian bowlers by putting on a 193-run stand. Sangakkara fell for 219, but Jayawardene carried on and added 176 with Thilan Samaraweera. India's agony finally ended when Sangakkara decided to declare the innings at 642 for 4.

Abhimanyu Mithun was the most expensive Indian bowler, going at over 5 runs an over. Ishant Sharma bowled 23 overs and gave away 102 runs for just a single wicket, while both Pragyan Ojha and Harbhajan Singh went at over 3 runs an over.

For a change, however, the entire match was a high-scoring one, with India scoring 707 runs in return as the Test ended in a dull draw.

#2 India v Australia, Sydney, 2012

After losing the first Test at Melbourne, India came to Sydney hoping to turn the tables on the hosts. Opting to bat after winning the toss, the Indian batting line-up failed to fire and were bundled out for 191 in their first innings. The bowlers, though, began on a good note, reducing Australia to 37 for 3. But, then, Ricky Ponting and captain Michael Clarke put breaks on the fall of wickets, combining to score 288 runs for the fourth wicket.

Ponting was dismissed for 134, but the leather hunt didn't stop there as Michael Hussey joined Clarke and put on a massive 334-run partnership for the fourth wicket to completely take the stuffing out of the Indian bowling attack. Australia finally declared their innings at 659 for 4. Zaheer Khan was taken for 122 runs in 31 overs, while both Umesh Yadav and Ishant Sharma went at over 4 runs an over. Ravichandran Ashwin bowled as many as 44 overs without getting a wicket and gave away 157 runs.

Despite scoring 400 in the second, the visitors lost the Test by an innings and 68 runs.

#1 India v England, Edgbaston, 2011

India had to win at Edgbaston to keep the series alive, as they had lost the first two matches of the four-match series. The losing trend, however, continued, with MS Dhoni’s men getting all out for 224 in their first innings after being put into bat.

Batting on the same track, England, powered by a massive 294 from opener Alastair Cook, posted 710 runs on the board before declaring their innings on the third day. The entire bowling unit, with the exception of Praveen Kumar who picked up 2 wickets in his 40 overs conceding only 98 runs, looked listless.

Trailing by 486 runs, India were dismissed for a paltry 244 runs as the home team won the match and the series.