India in Australia: Virat Kohli’s side face an uphill number’s game

Virat Kohli’s Indian cricket team begins their two-month Australia with the first Twenty20 International in Brisbane. India, who have lost overseas series in England and South Africa, will be desperate to break their losing streak and secure a win against an Australian side that will are without their star players and are low on confidence. However, winning in Australia has never been an easy task for many teams. England has only one series in 31 years while the Asian teams like Pakistan and Sri Lanka have struggled. Pakistan have suffered four consecutive 3-0 whitewashes Down Under since 1999 while Sri Lanka are yet to win a Test there. India has won five Tests and they will be desperate to secure a win in 2018/19. India’s ODI record is also poor in India but they have a decent Twenty20 International record. Here are some of the numbers that makes for interesting reading for Indian fans in Australia.

Read More | India in Australia: First whitewash, ODI glory and historic twin tons

4 – The number of Twenty20 Internationals won by India in Australia, which is the second-most by any team. Sri Lanka has won five T20Is in Australia since 2010, without losing a series.

Read More | Maninder Singh’s advice to India in Australia: Read conditions well

1 – India is the only team in history to have whitewashed Australia in a format Down Under. In the 2016 Twenty20 series, India secured a 3-0 whitewash, with Virat Kohli scoring three fifties.

5 – Number of Tests won by India in Australia since 1947. In 1977/78, India not only secured their first-ever win in Australia but they won one more Test in Sydney. In 1981, Kapil Dev helped India to a famous win in Melbourne while in 2003, India won in Adelaide. Perth was the venue of their last win in 2008.

Read More | India in Australia: From Nappies, Monkeygate - List of sledges

0 – Number of Test series wins for India in Australia. They have not won a series in South Africa as well. The only teams to win series in Australia are South Africa, England, West Indies and New Zealand.

84 – Virat Kohli’s batting average in Twenty20s in Australia. He has the highest average among any player for the format Down Under. With three fifties, he has also the most by any player.

5 – Number of centuries for Virat Kohli in Tests in Australia. He needs just two more to become the highest century getter for India in Tests Down Under. Sachin Tendulkar has the most with six.

705/7d – India’s highest total in Tests in Australia. It was achieved in the 2004 Test in Sydney and it is the highest total by any visiting team in Australia.

11 – Number of ODI wins for India in Australia. They have never won a bilateral series against the Aussies but they have won the 2008 CB tri-series and also the 1985 World Championship of Cricket.