5 Indians who flourished in England

England is one of the countries where once things start going down as a cricketer and as a team, it’s difficult to come back on that particular tour, especially in Test cricket. India found that in 2011 and 2014 and Virat Kohli, in particular, fell prey to it in 2014.

England has always been known as the place where the ball moves around and it is a challenge for batsmen not only in Test cricket but to some extent even in ODI cricket. But in recent years, the pitches, in general, all around the world for limited-overs cricket have become quite flat.

But the challenge still remains in Test cricket where the ball moves around under overcast conditions and it’s a test for every batsman. Not only batsmen, even bowlers need to adjust accordingly. England use the Dukes ball whose seam is a bit more pronounced than the Kookaburra one. The bowlers also need to get used the conditions and adapt to it.

Despite the challenging conditions, there have quite a few players who’ve gone to England and have come out with flying colours. Thus, here we look at 5 Indian players who flourished, thrived and came to the fore in England.

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Rahul Dravid

Rahul Dravid was the rock of India’s batting line-up in the late 1990s and throughout the first decade of 2000. And England will always be a special place for Dravid. He always performed really well when he travelled to the UK and his numbers batting in England are superb.

It was only at Lord’s in 1996 that India found a batting hero in Rahul Dravid. Batting at No. 7 on debut, the Karnataka lad went out and scored a fine 95. He did miss out on that hundred and the name on the honours board but he showed the world what he is capable of.

He once again missed out on a ton in his second game as he made 84 at Trent Bridge. He showed wonderful resilience and character during his debut series.

Six years later, he went back to England and scored 602 runs (which included three hundreds and one fifty) at a staggering average of 100.33. The 2007 tour wasn’t a great one for him but in 2011 he was back churning out runs in tough conditions. In an absolute disastrous series for India (where they lost the Test series 0-4), Rahul Dravid was the sole batsman who coped with the difficult conditions and consistently scored runs.

He scored 461 runs at an average of 76.83 in that series and also, he got the coveted hundred at Lord’s something which he had missed by a whisker on debut.

Overall, Rahul Dravid has scored 1376 runs at an average of 68.80 in England in Test cricket. He has the best average for Indian batsmen in England in Test cricket. Even in ODIs, Dravid has good numbers in England. He’s scored 1169 runs at an average of almost 45 in ODIs in England.

Dravid might have scored tons of runs in international cricket, but that debut series in England in 1996 was the breakout one for him.

Sourav Ganguly

Rahul Dravid might have missed out on a hundred on debut, but there was another bloke from Kolkata who made his debut in the same game and got his name on Lord’s honours board in his first game.

Sourav Ganguly who also made his debut in that 1996 Lord’s Test scored a memorable 131 on debut. He followed this up with another majestic ton at Trent Bridge. He made 136 and a fighting 48 in the second innings of that Trent Bridge Test match and announced himself on the world stage.

Like Dravid, Ganguly loved travelling to England. In 2002, he went as captain and scored 351 runs (three fifties and one hundred) and led India to a draw in that four-match Test series. In 2007 again, he was one of India’s standout batsmen. He scored 249 runs in the three-match Test series at an average of almost 50.

Even in ODIs in England, Ganguly scored more than 1000 runs. In fact, one of his most memorable ODI knocks came at Lord’s in the famous 2002 Natwest series final when he scored a 43-ball 60 and helped India get off to a flier chasing 325.

Hence, like Dravid, England has been a special place for the ‘Prince of Kolkata’. It all began there and it kicked started his career.

Sachin Tendulkar

Everybody knows that the great Sachin Tendulkar made his debut as a 16-year-old facing the fiery Pakistani pacers. Yes, he should a lot of grit and determination in his debut series but it was the series in England which was the coming of age for Tendulkar.

By the time Tendulkar went to England, he had already scored three half-centuries but the way he batted in England in 1990 was remarkable. In India’s loss at Lord’s, Tendulkar scored just 10 and 27 in the two innings.

But come the second Test at Old Trafford, Tendulkar showed his class as he scored a match-saving and a career-defining unbeaten knock of 119 which helped India save the Test match. He had scored 68 in the first innings of the Test match but his ton in the second innings was a high-quality one as he had come out to bat with India in deep trouble (they were staring at a defeat). The Mumbaikar who was just 17 years old during that tour scored 245 runs at an average of 61.25 in that three-match Test series.

Tendulkar has scored loads of runs in England and barring last two tours where he looked good in patches, the master blaster has always scored runs in the difficult English conditions. He also has a good ODI record in England where he has amassed more than 1000 runs in 26 games.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Bhuvneshwar Kumar had established himself as a good ODI bowler who could swing the ball upfront and pick up key wickets. But the tour of England was the coming of age of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, the Test bowler. He took 19 wickets and was India's Man of the Series.

He started the tour with a five-wicket haul before getting his name on the Lord's honours board as he took 6/82 in the second test and helped India win a memorable Test match at Lord's (and that was after 28 years). Not only with the ball, but Bhuvneshwar Kumar was very handy with the bat as well. He bailed India out of tricky situations on multiple occasions during that tour. He scored 247 runs which included three fifties in that series.

In ODIs, he’s played 11 games in England and has taken 14 wickets at an average of 26.50 and an excellent economy of 4.34. Though Bhuvneshwar Kumar had played a few Tests before but the tour to England in 2014 more or less showcased his skill as a Test match player.

His strike-rate and average is one of the best for Indian bowlers in England in Test cricket.

Kapil Dev

There is absolutely no doubt that Kapil Dev was one of the best all-rounders to have played for India. The Haryana all-rounder has some very good numbers in England.

He’s played 13 Test matches in England and has scored 638 runs at an average of 35.44. He has also taken 43 wickets there in Tests. In his first tour to England in 1979, he didn’t have a great series with the bat but he took 16 wickets in three Tests. In the next trip to England, Kapil’s performance with the bat improved significantly as he scored 292 runs in four innings and also picked up 10 wickets. He might have had ups and downs with the bat in England every time he toured, but his performances with the ball were consistent.

In ODI cricket in England, his numbers are even better. In 17 ODI matches he’s played in England, Kapil Dev has amassed 519 runs at an average of 47.18 and a strike-rate of 107.01. He has also taken 19 wickets at an average of 31.79.