India’s Unprecedented Domination At Home In Test Cricket – Decoded

India hammered Bangladesh by a massive margin of 280 runs in another home Test wrapped within four days at Chepauk on Sunday. It was India’s 41st win in 52 Tests at home since the start of 2013. Although some of the big guns did not fire with the bat, the lower-order rose to the occasion in the first innings before the bowlers came to the party and routed Bangladesh in 656 deliveries combined across the two innings. India has been ruthless in their own backyard in the last decade and have lost just four matches at home since 2013. 

They haven’t lost a Test series in home conditions since the 2-1 loss to England in 2012! No team has a better record at home than India in this time-frame. In fact, no team in any period in Test cricket history has been as dominating as India has in the last 10-11 years! 

We look at a few interesting numbers which define India’s unprecedented domination at home in Test cricket since 2013.

Note: All numbers for India are at ‘Home’ from the 1st of January, 2013 

41 – Number of Test wins for India India has won 41 of the 52 home Tests since the start of 2013 for a win percentage of 79%. Their domination at home in this time-frame has been more ruthless than even Australia’s Down Under (win-percentage of 72%). India have lost just four matches in the last 11 and a half years in their own backyard.

36 – The number of wins for India by an innings or a margin of 100+ runs or 8+ wickets India defeated Bangladesh by 280 runs. It was their 36th win on home soil since 2013 by a margin of in excess of 100 runs or an innings or 8+ wickets. This basically implies that 88% of India’s victories at home (36 out of 41) in this time-frame have come by completely crushing the opposition – a mind-boggling statistic! 

17 – The number of successive series wins for India India have not lost a Test series at home since the 2-1 loss against England in December 2012. They have won 17 consecutive home series since the start of 2013. These wins include three series triumphs each against Australia and England and two against South Africa! The all-time great Australian units of the 1990s and mid-2000s held the previous record – they won 10 successive home series between 1994-2001 and then 2004-2008. The legendary West Indian team of Clive Lloyd won 8 home series on the trot from 1976 to 1986. 

15 – Number of Test victories for India bowling less than 700 deliveries in the match India cleaned up Bangladesh in 656 deliveries (a shade less than 110 overs) across the two innings in Chennai. It was their 15 home Test win since 2013 where they have bowled the opposition twice in less than a combined 700 deliveries. This basically means that India has, on an average, dismissed the opposition in less than 58 overs in each innings in these 15 victories which in turn implies that they have, on an average, bowled out the opposition in under two sessions in each innings in these 15 encounters.

7 – The number of series sweeps for India India has swept as many as 7 home series (series involving two or more Tests) since the start of 2013. These include a 4-0 thrashing of Australia in 2013 and a 3-0 drubbing ofc South Africa in 2019. There are two other clean sweeps against West Indies and one each against New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

18.21 – The difference in batting average between India and opposition The Indian batters have dominated the run charts at home since 2013 and have a combined average of 40.08. On the other hand, the opposition batters have struggled to cope with the high quality of spin bowling on helpful tracks in India and have a collective average of 21.87. 

69 – The number of individual hundreds recorded by India Virat Kohli is at the top of the charts with 12 centuries and his followed by Rohit Sharma with 10. Murali Vijay with 8 and Cheteshwar Pujara with 7 complete the top four. While India has a combined 69 individual hundreds at home since 2013, the opposition combined has just 25. England has 10 individual hundreds while Australia has 7. 

18.8 – The difference in bowling average between India and opposition The startling statistic is that the difference in bowling average between India and the opposition in India since 2013 is marginally higher than the corresponding difference in batting. This showcases not only the might and dominance of the Indian spinners in exploiting favourable conditions at home but also the rise of the Indian pace brigade since 2017-18. While the Indian bowling unit has a combined average of 22.54 in this time-frame, the opposition has conceded 41.34 runs per dismissal. 

52 & 10: – Number of fifers & ten-wicket match hauls for India The Indian bowlers have picked as many as 52 fifers and 10 ten-wicket match hauls at home since 2013. R Ashwin has bagged 24 fifers and five 10-wicket match hauls in India in this time-frame while his partner, Ravindra Jadeja hasaccounted for 11 fifers and two 10-wicket hauls.