Five Legends Who Struggled To Play On Indian Pitches

Throughout cricketing history, there have been various legends who established their own legacy, but even the best in business have a weakness. Playing Team India at home, and beating them on Indian pitches is a mean feat, but it becomes a challenge altogether in the purest format of the gentleman’s game.

Actually SENA players tend to struggle on Indian tracks and this has been a trend for a very long time. The same way Asian players have difficulties to play in overseas conditions. Various legends of the sport, who were renowned for their batting prowess, have inexplicably underwhelmed while playing in Asia.

In the following slides, we have listed five legends who struggled to play on Indian pitches:

5) Desmond Haynes

Former West Indies player Desmond Haynes, who was renowned for his styling batting belongs to that category of legends who have an excellent record in Test cricket, but they struggled in India instead.

Haynes played a total 10 Test matches against India on Indian pitches, although he could muster up just 377 runs overall in as many games, with an average of 22.18.

In the 18 innings that the right-handed batsman played, he could score just two fifties, and his best score was 58.

These numbers clearly suggest that there was something about the Asian conditions that probably troubled Haynes. Overall, the 64-year-old played 116 matches for the Windies, scoring 7478 runs with an average of 42.30.

4) Glenn McGrath

Widely regarded as one of the most prolific and lethal bowlers of all time, Australia’s former bowler Glenn McGrath also features on this list. Despite having an illustrious record of wickets throughout his career, the 50-year-old failed to create have a lasting impact on Indian pitches.

McGrath played eight Test matches against India in the subcontinent, wherein, he picked up just 33 wickets, with an average of 21.30.

The right-handed pacer failed to pick up a five-for in any of the matches, with his best figures came in when McGrath dismissed four batsmen, giving away 18 runs in the process.

For a player widely renowned as one of the legends of the gentleman’s game, these stats clearly speak about the veteran’s struggles in India.

3) Muttiah Muralitharan

The player with most Test wickets in the history of Test cricket, Muttiah Muralitharan’s track record speaks for itself, but he too, like various legends on this list, struggled to influence matches when playing on Indian pitches.

Having played cricket for two decades, the 47-year-old played 11 Test matches against India in their den, but he managed just 40 scalps in as many games. His best figures came in when Muralitharan gave away 100 runs and picked up 7 wickets with an average of 45.45.

Overall, the spin maestro from Sri Lanka played 133 Test matches, amassed 800 wickets, but his figures in India aren’t those to be proud of.

2) Graeme Smith

Former South African skipper Graeme Smith will always be regarded as one of the greatest players to represent the Proteas, having won them a plethora of contests single-handedly.

Despite this, Smith struggled whenever he played on Indian pitches. Against the Men in Blue, he played seven Test matches, wherein the left-handed opener could score a paltry 316 runs in total, with an average of 36. He did score three fifties for his credit, but the 39-year-old’s highest score in India remains at 72 runs.

Smith amassed 117 Test caps for his country, alongside 9265 runs in the purest format, with a healthy average of 48, including 38 half-centuries and 27 tons.

1) Ricky Ponting

A player renowned not just for his surreal record as captain, but who was accomplished as the most complete batsman of his era, Ricky Ponting remains Australia’s highest run-scorer in cricket, but his struggles on Indian pitches were well pronounced.

The 45-year-old played 14 Test matches against India, in their home, wherein he could only muster up a tally of 662 runs, with an average of 26.48.

Ponting did score one century and five fifties in India, but for a batsman hailed as one of the best of all time, his stats speak volumes about the former Aussie opener.

Overall, the player who is fondly renowned by his nickname ‘Punter’, played 168 Test matches, scoring 13,378 runs in the process, with an impressive average of 51.85, including 41 centuries and 58 half-centuries.