Over the years, the Test series between England and India has been a fascinating experience for fans. Test cricket is the oldest and most traditional format of the game. It is a neck-to-neck contest between the bat and ball for five gruelling days under the hot sun. The teams need to play it out in three sessions to hold their grip on the Test match, and the team who wins the most sessions ends up winning the Test match quite compressively. The Test match played in England is distinct from India, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, West Indies, and other Asian Sun Continent countries. The balls whiz around in England and favor the bowlers over the batters. Here patience, determination, and perseverance come into play due to the swing and seaming conditions in the United Kingdom. And if the weather is cloudy, the batters are even more troubled. England continues to have a fantastic bowling attack, led by the modern legend James Anderson. Along with Jimmy’s partner Stuart Broad and Olly Stone, Olly Robinson, Mark Wood, Jofra Archer, Chris Woakes, Tom Curran, Sam Curran, and Ben Stokes are the best operators in England conditions and they have troubled the Indian batters in the overcast, seam and swing conditions. The Indian batters have not adapted to these bowling-friendly conditions as they did in Australia, and so they won two back-to-back series Down Under. India's record has been dismal in England. In 2007 India won their last Test series under the captaincy of Rahul Sharad Dravid. The Indian batsmen have always found it difficult to bat in England conditions. The bowlers have done a decent job as they continue to do on this ongoing tour in 2021. Bumrah, Shami, Shardul, and Siraj have helped India knock England out for only 183 runs in their 1st innings. But when it comes to batting, the batsmen have struggled when they have faced the red cheery. So today, we shall make a list of the top 10 Indian batters who have done well in England in Test match Cricket.
1. Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar
Tendulkar has scored tons of runs in every corner of the world, and that is why he is the legend in the game of cricket and is also known as the God of Cricket. The Master Blaster remains the highest run-scorer for India in Test matches and One Day International matches. He also has the most half-centuries and hundreds for India in this great game. Moreover, he tops the list as the highest run-scorer for India against England in their backyard. Sachin has successfully put all the great England bowlers under pressure, and he was also part of the 2007 Test series win in England. The God of cricket is the first man to score a thousand on England's soil, and there are players from India who have just achieved this magnificent feat as a batter in test matches played in England. In 17 test matches and 30 innings, Sachin has scored 1575 runs against England on their soil with the help of four centuries and eight half-centuries. Tendulkar had a Test average of 54.31 in England.
2. Rahul Sharad Dravid
The Wall of India who had decimated all the best bowlers of the world through his skills, defense, and perseverance, Rahul Dravid’s patience is the secret of his success for India in overseas conditions. He loved to play in England, and he also played a few country seasons in that country. Dravid is just the second Indian batter to score a thousand runs in England, and he is also the second Indian captain who won a Test series in England. In only 13 matches, Rahul has smashed 1376 runs, and he has six centuries in England which is the most by any Indian player in this list of Top 10. Dravid also has the highest average of 68.80 in Test matches played in and against England. He has scored four half-centuries overall in the UK.
3. Sourav Ganguly
The Prince of Kolkata had a dream debut at Lord's Cricket Ground in 1996. He scored a defining century on his maiden Test match, and his name is still on the Lord's honors board. Ganguly is still known as the God offside, and his innings were based purely on the timing of the ball. Dada was also part of the 2007 series win in England, and he is still the only captain under whom India didn’t lose the Test series that was drawn in 2002. The prince of Kolkata was the best captain for India in overseas conditions. India also drew the Test series in Australia that year. In England, Sourav Ganguly has scored 915 Test runs in nine matches and 15 innings. Dada had the second-best Test average in England with an average of 65.35. He also scored three hundred and five half-centuries in England.
4. Mahendra Singh Dhoni
India’s most successful captain across the formats appears fourth on this list. Mahi Bhai has achieved a lot during his Test captaincy days for India till 2014. Dhoni is just the second Indian captain to win a Test match at Lord’s Cricket ground. Kapil Dev is the first captain to take India to a memorable win at the home of the cricket stadium. MS Dhoni also took India to number one in ICC Test rankings. But due to his poor outing as a skipper on 2011 and 2014 tours to England and Australia, many have criticized him. But he is the fourth-highest run-scorer for India in England and against the same opposition. Despite having an unconventional technique, Dhoni has scored 778 runs in 12 matches and 23 innings. Mahi has saved the collapses for India on the 2011 and 2014 tours. His match-saving knock during the 2007 tour eventually helped India to clinch the series in England in 2007. Mahi doesn't have any centuries overseas. But he has scored eight half-centuries in England, which is the most in this list of top 10.
5. Virat Kohli
The current Indian skipper and the modern-day legend, Virat Kohli aims to end India's 14-year wait to win the series in England. India was the runner's up of the World Test Championship cycle from 2019 to 2021. But their batting failures have been constant in England, so winning the series in the Test series is a big challenge for the Kohli-led Indian Team. Kohli had a poor outing as a batsman in 2014. But the King came back with a bang in 2018 as the highest run-scorer for India on that tour. In the ongoing series, Kohli will hope to have a better outing than in 2018, which might help India win the five-match Test series in England. Kohli has scored 727 runs in 11 matches and 20 innings. Virat has scored two centuries and three fifties in England, and all of them had come in a single series of 2018. Kohli will look to build on his average in England is 36.35. However, he needs to negotiate the swing, seam, and the weakness of fetching the ball outside the off-stump.
6. VVS Laxman
VVS Laxman was very special in Test match cricket for India. His dominance Down Under against Australia was mainly because of the knocks he played in Kolkata in 2001 and Adelaide in 2002. Laxman was the best middle-order batsman for India in Tests and ODIs. He was also part of the series win in England in 2007. But his performance in England wasn't that good. VVS was also part of the 2011 whitewash Test series. Laxman played 11 matches and 19 innings in England, and he scored 586 runs at an average of 34.47. VVS didn't score a hundred in England. But he had five half-centuries to his name.
7. Ajinkya Rahane
The vice-captain of India has a test hundred at Lords, which he scored in the 2014 tour and the team also needed it the most. India could win their second Test match at Lord's mainly because of Rahane’s ton in the first innings. Rahane can take this as an inspiration and help India to win the series this time around. Rahane has played 11 Test matches and 20 innings so far and has scored 556 runs at an average of 29.26 with the help of one century and four fifties in England.
8. Cheteshwar Pujara
The number three batter in Test cricket is the Test match specialist for the Indian Cricket Team. Pujara is being called the next Wall of India in Test matches. But he needs to replicate what Rahul Dravid, the real Wall of India, did in England. Pujara needs to use his country cricket experience to bail India out in Sydney and Brisbane. So far, Pujara has scored 500 runs in ten matches and 18 innings. However, he has a below-par average of 29.41 and he can improve his average for the betterment of India. Pujara has scored one hundred and two fifties on England's soil.
9. KL Rahul
Rahul is back as the Indian opener for the first Test match, and that was only because of the injuries to Shubman Gill and Mayank Agarwal. KL Rahul has been struggling in red cricket recently. He was chosen as the middle-order batsman before the series, and he also scored a century in the warm-up game when he batted at the number five position. India needs to start their innings well so KL Rahul has to deliver as an opening batter now. He scored a Test hundred in England in 2018, which is the only one in his Test career in England. KL has played six Test matches and 11 innings in England, and he has scored 308 runs. Rahul has also scored two half-centuries in England.
10. Ravichandran Ashwin
The last batsman to have scored more runs in Test matches in England is Ravichandran Ashwin. In the home series against England, Ashwin also smashed a ton on his home ground in Chennai. Despite being a world-class spinner and batting all-rounder, Ashwin is out from the first Test match, and Ravindra Jadeja is in the playing XI. This is because Ashwin hasn't shown that batting class of his in overseas conditions. Barring that draw in the Sydney Test match in 2021, Ashwin has struggled to bat well, which may be why India has preferred Jadeja over Ashwin. Ravichandran has played six test matches and 12 innings in England till now. He has scored 232 runs to his name with no fifties and centuries. While Jaddu has played the same amount of matches, and he has scored 276 runs with two half-centuries to his name, Jadeja also has an average of 30 in England compared to Ashwin.
