Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], September 16 (ANI): As the Indian cricket team gears up for the highly anticipated first Test against Bangladesh, starting on September 19 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, cricket fans across the nation are fervently hoping for a turnaround in the form of India’s top-order batsmen. The recent decline in their batting averages and centuries, compared to the golden period between 2016-2020, has been a cause for concern.

The two-match Test series will see its second game commence on September 27 in Kanpur. This series marks the debut Test assignment for India’s head coach, Gautam Gambhir, who is undoubtedly eager to begin his tenure with a series victory.

Analyzing the batting performance of India’s top-seven batsmen on home soil, there is a noticeable statistical decline when comparing the 2016-2020 period to the span from 2021 to the present day. During the 2016-2020 period, the collective batting average of India’s top-seven was an impressive 54.43, with a century coming every 6.9 innings. In stark contrast, from 2021 onwards, this average has plummeted to 38.30, with centuries now occurring only once every 13.1 innings.

This decline is mirrored in the performance of visiting teams’ top-seven batsmen on Indian pitches. Between 2016 and 2020, these players collectively averaged 28.51 and took 19.6 innings to score a century. Post-2021, their average has dropped to 26.12, with centuries becoming even rarer at one every 33 innings.

Several prominent Indian batsmen have experienced a significant dip in their home performance. Virat Kohli’s average has fallen from a staggering 86.17 in 22 Tests with ten centuries during 2016-2020 to a mere 34.47 in 11 Tests with just one century since 2021. KL Rahul’s average has decreased from 44.25 in 14 Tests with one century to 29.20 in three Tests without any centuries in the same time frame. Rohit Sharma’s performance has also seen a downturn, from an average of 101.20 in ten Tests with four centuries to an average of 44.87 in 15 Tests with the same number of centuries post-2021.

Middle-order stalwarts like Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane have not been spared either. Pujara’s average has dropped from 56.85 in 24 Tests with five centuries to 24.53 in ten Tests without a century since 2021. Similarly, Rahane’s average fell from 39.32 in 22 Tests with two centuries to a dismal 18.87 in five Tests, also without any centuries post-2021. This decline likely contributed to their exclusion from the current squad, making way for young talents like Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, and Yashasvi Jaiswal.

Indian batsmen have particularly struggled against spin bowling in recent years. From averaging 63.36 against spin at home between 2016-2020 with 103.7 balls per dismissal, the numbers have sharply declined to an average of 37.56 with just 64.4 balls per dismissal since 2021. Additionally, dismissals against spin have increased from 110 during the earlier period to 134 post-2021.

In contrast, India’s performance against pace bowling at home has remained relatively stable. From averaging 47.36 against pace with 85.6 balls per dismissal during 2016-2020, there has been only a slight decline to an average of 45.79 with 83.8 balls per dismissal since 2021. The number of dismissals against pace also reduced significantly from 108 in the initial period to just 44 post-2021.

India’s unbeaten home series record since 2014 is a testament to the critical contributions of their bowlers. As Rohit Sharma’s side faces Bangladesh, followed by New Zealand’s tour for three Tests starting October 16 and then the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in Australia from November 22, all eyes will be on the team’s performance.

India’s squad for the first Test against Bangladesh includes: Rohit Sharma (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), R Ashwin, R Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah, and Yash Dayal.

The upcoming matches are crucial as India seeks to reclaim its dominant form and secure crucial wins under the new coaching regime of Gautam Gambhir.