Cricket News: WTC Final 2023: IND & AUS key player stats in England | Which India & Australia players have the best stats at England?
The ICC World Test Championship 2021-23 Final is just hours away. India will be looking to rectify the mistakes they made last time around in the previous cycle’s final, while Australia would be looking to win the title in their maiden WTC.
The winner will become the first team to win all ICC titles. The game is set to take place at The Oval in London. On that note, let us take a look at who the best players from India and Australia are when it comes to Tests in England.
IND vs AUS: Stats leaders in England
India
Top 3 batters in Tests in England:
By runs scored:
1) Virat Kohli- 1,033
2) Cheteshwar Pujara- 829
3) Ajinkya Rahane- 729
By batting average:
1) Rohit Sharma- 42.36
2) Virat Kohli- 33.32
3) Ravindra Jadeja- 29.70
Virat Kohli has scored over a thousand runs in Tests in England. With an average of more than 30, he is one of the only two batters in the Indian squad to average above 30 in Tests in England. However, his average of 33.32 in England is the worst for him in any country where he has played a minimum of four Tests. He has also bagged four ducks in England in red-ball cricket, the most for him in any country outside India. The former Indian captain has scored 169 runs at an average of 28.17 at The Oval in London. His highest score at the venue is 50.
Cheteshwar Pujara, who has been one of the pillars of the Indian batting lineup over the last decade or so, has scored 829 Test runs in England, averaging 29.61 across 30 innings. He has five half centuries and one ton in England. At The Oval, he has scored 117 runs in six innings, at an average of less than 20. His average of 19.50 at The Oval is his second worst among the seven venues he has played at in England. He averages worse only at Old Trafford (8.50).
Ajinkya Rahane, who turned 35 years old a day before the WTC Final, has scored 729 runs in England in the longest format of the game. He has the reputation of being one of India’s best overseas batsmen ever in Test cricket. Excluding Tests in England, he has scored 2,558 runs at an average of 47.4 in away tests. Although he averages more than 35 in each of South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and West Indies, he has a Test average of just 26.04 in England. More importantly, he has three ducks in six innings at The Oval, and averages just 9.17 at the venue.
Rohit Sharma has the highest Test average in England among the Indian squad members. In six games, he has scored 466 runs at an average of 42.36. He does not average more than that in any other country outside India, making England his favorite country to play away Tests in. At The Oval, he has played just one game. He scored a brilliant 127 in India’s second innings, and won the Player of the Match award. He averages 69 at The Oval, and will have to lead from the front in the game against Australia.
Ravindra Jadeja averages close to 30 with the bat in England, showing how important he is to the Indian unit. Not only is he vital with the ball due to his matchups against Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne, he will also be important as a batter in the WTC Final. With no other left-handed batsmen in the mix apart from Ishan Kishan who is unlikely to get a game, Ravindra Jadeja might even be seen batting at number five. In 11 Tests in England, the all-rounder has three fifties and a century to his name. He has also scored 126 runs at an average of 42 at The Oval.
Top 3 bowlers in Tests in England:
By wickets taken-
1) Mohammed Shami- 38
2) Ravindra Jadeja- 23
3) Ravichandran Ashwin and Mohammed Siraj- 18
By bowling average-
1) Umesh Yadav- 23.56
2) Ravichandran Ashwin- 28.11
3) Mohammed Siraj- 33
Mohammad Shami is India’s (current squad) leading wicket taker in England. He has taken 38 wickets in 13 games, but his average of 40.53 is not impressive. Although the English conditions should help him, he has an average of 91 at The Oval. From a player of his caliber, with a seam position so good, one would have expected better numbers from the pacer. Nevertheless, he will still be the key for India in the upcoming WTC Final.
Ravindra Jadeja has taken 23 Test wickets in England, and averages 46.09. However, 11 of the 23 wickets have come at The Oval, where he averages 31.27.
The 36-year old off-spinner from Chennai, Ravichandran Ashwin, has taken 18 wickets in seven Tests in England. He averages 28.11. At The Oval, he has picked up three wickets in 21.3 overs. With an average of 24 at the venue where the WTC Final is set to be held, he may get the nod over Shardul Thakur.
Mohammad Siraj has bagged 18 wickets in the five Tests he has played in England. He is one of the most aggressive natured pacers going around in India, and has taken 18 wickets at an average of 33 in England. But, to India’s misfortune, much like Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj also has a poor record at The Oval. In the only game he has played at the venue, he picked one wicket in 26 overs, and has an average of 86.
Umesh Yadav has played only two games in England, and he picked nine wickets over those two Tests. He has a bowling average of 23.56 in the country. In the only Test he has played at The Oval, he got six wickets at an average of 22.67.
Australia
Top 3 batsmen in Tests in England:
By runs scored-
1) Steven Smith- 1,727
2) David Warner- 651
3) Marnus Labuschagne- 353
By batting average-
1) Steven Smith- 59.55
2) Marnus Labuschagne- 50.43
3) Travis Head- 27.29
Steve Smith is well and truly and an all-time great in Test cricket. He averages close to 60 in his Test career, and his numbers in England are equally magnificent. In 16 Tests, he has scored 1,727 runs at an average of a whopping 59.55. Furthermore, he averages close to 100 at The Oval. In five innings at the venue, he has scored 391 runs at an average of 97.75.
The number one batter in the ICC Men’s Test Batting Rankings, Marnus Labuschagne, averages over 50 in England. He has four fifties in four games, and has scored 353 runs in the process. However, he averages only 31 at The Oval, scoring 62 runs across two innings. Among the four venues he has played at in England, his average at The Oval remains the worst.
David Warner has scored just over 650 Test runs in England. He averages a very ordinary 26.04 and has never scored a century in England. The opener has bagged seven fifties in 25 innings. At The Oval, he averages 23.80 with 119 runs in five innings.
The left-handed batter, Travis Head, averages 27.29 in England. He has scored 191 runs in eight innings, and has managed to cross the 50-run mark just once. He has played all four Tests at different venues in England, but none of them at The Oval.
Top 3 bowlers in Tests in England:
By wickets taken-
1) Nathan Lyon- 45
2) Mitchell Starc- 33
3) Pat Cummins- 29
By bowling average-
1) Pat Cummins- 19.62
2) Steven Smith- 27.38
3) Mitchell Starc- 31.27
Out of Nathan Lyon’s 482 Test wickets, 45 have come in England. He has taken more wickets only in Australia and India. In 13 games, the off-spinner has taken 45 wickets in England at an average of 31.62. He has notched nine wickets at The Oval, averaging a little less than 31. Among the eight English venues that he has played Test cricket at, he has taken more wickets only at Edgbaston.
Mitchell Starc has taken 33 wickets in nine Tests in England. He has a career bowling average of 27.52 in red-ball cricket for Australia. But, his average in England increases to 31.27, and it further worsens to 66 at The Oval. He has bagged only three wickets in two Tests at the venue.
Pat Cummins has a brilliant bowling average of 19.62 in England. He has taken a staggering 29 wickets in five games, giving away runs at an economy of only 2.70 runs per over. His battle against the likes of Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara will also be entertaining to watch. He has played only one Test at The Oval, where he picked five wickets in the game, averaging 30.20.
