5 active cricketers who excel on home soil

Home advantage is a crucial component in the world of sport, be it at the club level or international level. The home team's players are backed by frenzied fans, and coupled with the knowledge of familiar surroundings, it gives them a psychological edge over their opponents.

In the modern cricketing era, there are a few players who have mastered the art of taking advantage of home conditions to an extent that they hit new highs every game, entertaining the masses with every performance.

Here we take a look at five international cricketers who excel while plying their trade at a home venue.

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#5 David Warner

The explosive Australian opening batsman David Warner fits into this category perfectly as he has amassed runs in every format of the game at home with a consistently higher batting average and strike rate than most in the international game.

In the longest format of the game, Warner has scored 14 centuries and 9 fifties in just 33 Test matches with a stunning batting average of 59.22. Out of a total tally of 5707 runs in Test cricket, Warner has scored 3257 runs at home, stating his claim as one of the most dangerous batsmen on Aussie soil.

When Warner gets going, he's a hard man to stop and it's a similar tale in ODIs, as the loud-mouthed Aussie vice-captain has notched up a staggering 2324 runs, with an average of 48.42 in the 50 games he's played at home. He also helped Australia win the last World Cup with a neat knock of 45 in the final against the Kiwis.

Since a majority of his T20 games have been played abroad, the hard-hitting Warner has a good record at home, hitting his highest ever score of 90 for Australia with a whopping strike rate of 152.94, in the shortest format of the game.

A player still in his prime, Warner is only going to get better and stronger at home.

#4 James Anderson

England's greatest bowler

A lethal bowler who is England's most prolific Test wicket-taker of all time, James Anderson has taken 327 of his 506 wickets at home.

Anderson surpassed Ian Botham's tally of 383 Test wickets, creating a lasting benchmark for young English bowlers to go on and challenge in the future.

A master of swing bowling, Anderson has outfoxed various opposition at home and adapted his style to a more defensive approach for ODIs where he's had a lot of success as well.

With a lower bowling average and strike rate in home conditions, Anderson uses the surroundings to his advantage, taking a brilliant 127 wickets in just 53 games with a career best of 4/18.

An economical bowler with the knack of taking wickets at crucial moments, Anderson was paid his due respect for his achievements with a stand at Old Trafford being named after him.

#3 Ravichandran Ashwin

Ashwin is a vital figure at home

A very tricky spinner and good lower-order bat, Ravichandran Ashwin is another master of taking advantage of home surfaces.

With a superb Test wicket haul of 292 scalps, with 204 coming in home conditions, along with 1172 runs comprising two hundreds and seven fifties, Ashwin was given the tag of a top all-rounder in all formats of the game.

India has proven to be Ashwin's hunting ground for a majority of his career, with him deceiving oppositions with an array of bowling styles.

Batsmen across the globe have struggled to cope with his variations and coupled with an economical average of 22.64, Ashwin is a hard bowler to pick.

His batting has steadily improved and irritated the best bowlers from around the world, guiding India through troubled terrain on many an occasion. An excellent option for India with the ball and bat, Ashwin also played a vital role in helping India win the WC in 2011 at home, cementing his legacy as one of the greatest spin bowlers in Indian cricket history.

#2 Chesteswar Pujara

Pujara has cemented his spot in India's Test XI

In this new age of cricket, an old-school Test cricketer in Cheteshwar Pujara has patiently crafted his way into the Indian side and cemented a spot in the Test side.

Amassing a staggering 2797 runs in 30 Test matches with a career best of 206, the 29-year-old has mastered surfaces in India, making him a sure shot on this list.

With plush strokes and incredible ability, Pujara is a calm, composed cricketer with an excellent batting average of 63.57 at home. Having previously plied his trade with English county clubs, Pujara has learnt the art of Test batting to the dot, with a twist of his own, as his technique and grip are quite unique.

Still relatively new to the fold in terms of matches played, one thing that is certain is Pujara can hold his own in any situation and he excels on home surfaces where he can take the game to the opposition bowlers.

#1 Rangana Herath

Herath is Sri Lanka's leading spinner

An economical, smart spinner from the small island of Sri Lanka, Herath is a tricky customer in all formats of the game, especially at home. With a stunning bowling average of 23.69 to go with 263 wickets in home Test matches, Herath also has 25 five-wicket hauls, with career-best figures of 9/127 against Pakistan.

Herath is a specialist Test spinner from the sub continent, with a number of tricks up his sleeve coupled with acute speed changes every ball, deceiving batsmen on many fronts.

He's also picked up 39 ODI wickets at home in 50 odd games, helping Sri Lanka win many a series on home soil.

The 39-year-old has been the country's leading spinner since Murali's retirement and has done a reasonable job. He has guided Sri Lanka to numerous victories with his accurate and subtle variations in flight and pace.