5 factors that are necessary for Team India to emulate their home success in overseas conditions

#4 Contributions from the spinners

Both Ashwin and Jadeja should improve their overseas records

The spinners played a huge role in the victories achieved by Team India in the unbeaten streak over the past three years. The duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja occupied the top spot in the ICC Test Rankings for the bowlers during this period.

With the team embarking on a number of series away from home, the role of the spinners as the prime wicket-takers will change as the pacers would be the major contributors on these tours. The spinners need to ensure that the run-scoring is kept under control and also to provide the team with vital breakthroughs when a partnership is building. The spinners will not enjoy each other’s support on most of the occasions, unlike the home games where they have bowled well in tandem. The record of both Ashwin and Jadeja overseas is pretty ordinary when compared to their home record.

Their predecessors, Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble played a huge role in India’s performances away from home. Harbhajan picked up six wickets in India’s win at Durban in 2010 while also returning with a seven-wicket haul in the drawn Test at Cape Town in the same series. He also scalped six wickets in India’s win at Hamilton in the 2009 tour of New Zealand. Similarly, when India drew the series in Australia in 2003-04, Kumble was the leading wicket taker from either side with 24 wickets in just three matches.

While Ashwin has bowled decently in the two Tests he played in the current series, he was unable to pick wickets in the second innings at Centurion on a pitch which was termed as an ‘Indian pitch’. The role of the spinners, even in the seaming conditions is very vital, as shown by the contributions from Nathan Lyon and Moeen Ali and the Indian spinners would want to improve their overseas records.