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Home and away Tests, more than just a TV soapie

20th August, 2014
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Australia must look to the past in order to salvage the 2015 Ashes. (AP Photo/Rob Griffith)
Expert
20th August, 2014
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Home advantage has always played a big part in cricket, as it probably has in all international sports. But these days it makes a huge difference in Test cricket.

As India will be touring Australia this summer, let us analyse the home-and-away series results since 1996-97 when the Border-Gavaskar Trophy was inaugurated.

In Australia, Australia won the Test series 3-0 in 1999-2000, drew 1-1 in 2003-04, won 2-1 in 2007-08 and won 4-0 in 2011-12. Thus Australia won 10-2 on its home turf in this period.

In India, India won the Test series 1-0 in 1996-97, won 2-1 in 1997-98, won 2-1 in 2000-01, lost 1-2 in 2004-05, won 2-0 in 2008-09, won 2-0 in 2010-11 and won 4-0 in 2012-13. Thus India won 14-4 in their backyard during the same period.

By any statistical yardstick, Australia going from 10-2 victorious at home to 4-14 losers in India is a significant difference. What is interesting is the fact that the home and overseas difference has increased in the last two decades.

Let us analyse the Australia versus India Test series before 1996.

At home, Australia won the Test series 4-0 in 1947-48, 4-0 in 1967-68, 3-2 in 1977-78 (when most Australian Test cricketers were playing for the World Series Cricket), drew 1-1 in 1980-81, drew 0-0 in 1985-86 and won 4-0 in 1991-92. In this period they won 16-3 in Australia.

India lost 0-2 in 1956-57, lost 1-2 in 1959-60, drew 1-1 in 1964-65, lost 1-3 in 1969-70, won 2-0 in 1979-80 and drew 0-0 in 1986-87 in matches played at home. They lost 5-8 in this timeframe.

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So why did Australia win the Test series 8-5 in India before 1996 and lose 4-14 after 1996?

My explanation is that visiting teams in the past used to play more first-class matches before the Test series commenced, and also in between Test matches.

For instance Australian played Maharashtra, Gujarat, Bengal, Delhi and the President’s XI prior and between the Test series.

These days it is a first-class match, then a Test match and hardly any other practice to get the players acclimatised to foreign conditions as the series progresses.

Australian cricketers more used to pace and swing find India’s spinning dust balls difficult to adjust to without learning state and provincial matches. The same happens to the Indian players, who come from the spin heavens of Mumbai, Chennai, Mohali and Nagpur to the speed and bounce of Perth.

The last two Ashes series also underline the home-and-away variation. Australia whitewashing England 5-0 in Australia in 2013-14 but losing 0-3 in England only a few months ago.

It’s about time ICC organise more first-class matches for a touring team and less one day internationals and Twenty20 money spinners.

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Unfortunately, more viewers want to watch TV soapies than the “Gone with the Wind” classic. Sadly, the fact is that first-class cricket is fast disappearing with the wind.

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