Indian batting in SENA countries has been just average, in the last few years, to put it mildly. And England the troubles somehow increase with the swinging ball, and overcast conditions. The current lot hasn’t been the most comfortable dealing with that swing, and the batting statistics for some of the batters are just startling.
Let us talk about these batters and their performances — in broad terms — only outside India, since 2020. Surprisingly, Rishabh Pant has been country’s best bet having scored 1317 runs at an average of 36.58. Virat Kohli comes in second with 1250 runs at an average of 31.25. Chetewshwar Pujara is third with 1087 runs at an average of 31.97; followed by KL Rahul with 987 runs at an average of 32.90. And Ajinkya Rahane has 814 runs at an average of 27.13.
| Player | Runs | Average |
| Rishabh Pant | 1317 | 36.58 |
| Virat Kohli | 1250 | 31.25 |
| Cheteshwar Pujara | 1087 | 31.97 |
| KL Rahul | 987 | 32.90 |
| Ajinkya Rahane | 814 | 27.13 |
That means, scoring of course has been difficult for the team, which can decide the fate of the match. Now, let us just see the numbers for these batters in England only. Starting with Virat Kohli — there are rumours that he has already retired, but his stats are still worth looking at.
In 17 Tests in England, he has scored 1096 runs at an average of 33, including two tons and five fifties. Then Pant, despite scoring two tons in the nation, in 9 Tests, has scored only 556 runs at an average of 32. India’s wall, Pujara has been rather bad in England. In the 16 Tests there, he managed to score only 870 runs at an average of 29. KL Rahul has been a bit better than the rest.
| Player | Matches | Runs | Average |
| Virat Kohli | 17 | 1096 | 33 |
| Rishabh Pant | 9 | 556 | 32 |
| Cheteshwar Pujara | 16 | 870 | 29 |
| KL Rahul | 9 | 614 | 34 |
| Ajinkya Rahane | 16 | 864 | 28 |
In 9 Tests, he has scored 614 runs at an average of 34, including two tons. Rahane, who has been out of the team for a while now, has the worst numbers in England. He has scored only 864 runs in 16 Test at an average of 28.80. Mind you, these players — Pant, and Rahul would be the two experienced batters on the England tour, and with these numbers, once again batting could be a serious issue for the unit. Yes, this time around, the likes of Stuart Broad and James Anderson won’t be around, but then there’ll surely be others who will swing the ball in both directions, and the batters would find it tough to negate the swing.
The post Combined average of 31 in England: Indian batters face tall task without Rohit Sharma-Virat Kohli appeared first on Inside Sport India.