Test previews / Ed Hawkins / 06 October 2008 /

The Hawkeye View - Ed Hawkins talks us through India's record in the first Test of a Series and at Bangalore...and it doesn't make great reading. Unlike Virender Sehwag's record at this ground.

The lack of a spinner, a poor record in the country and doubts over the runscoring potential of their best batsman are just three of the hurdles that Australia will have to overcome when the first Test of four begins against India in Bangalore in the small hours of Thursday.

With no Shane Warne, the inexperienced Jason Krejza and ill-equipped Cameron White will be charged with troubling the home batsman - something even the great man struggled to do - Australia have won only won one series in six in India and Ricky Ponting averages less than 13 on tour there.

Yet before you pile on India at [3.55] to draw first blood at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, disregarding Australia at [3.60] and the draw at [2.26], be aware that there are a couple of obstacles that Anil Kumble's side have to negotiate.

They are big ones, too and could well put one off siding with India, particularly with thunderstorms forecast. A pitch which is not dry and dusty will hinder spinners Kumble and Harbhajan Singh and could play into the hands of the Australian quicks.
That is conjecture, however. Let's get back to those statistical-based worries about India.

Firstly, they have a poor record on this ground; pertinent considering how the feelgood factor of a successful venue can give a team a lift.

They have lost four of the last six matches (drawing the other two) and have not won there since 1995 against New Zealand. Indeed in the 17 matches played there, India have won just four - a rather pathetic figure for a team which is usually so difficult to beat on home soil.

Importantly, two defeats have come against Australia, one in 1998 and the other in 2004 when a team led by Adam Gilchrist ended their barren run in the region. They were heavy losses, too - by eight wickets ten years ago and a whopping 217 runs four years ago. Have a look at the scorecard for that match here https://content-uk.cricinfo.com/statsguru/engine/match/64099.html

Secondly, India, like the tuk-tuks which clog the streets, are slow starters in a home contest before accelerating once they feel comfortable with their rivals on the road. In the last 10 first Tests (not including a win over a hapless Zimbabwe team in 2002) of a home series, India have won two, drawing seven and winning one. Contrast that to their record in their last 10 series at home - losing only one - and we have a reasonably clear picture of what could happen in the three Tests following the opener.

For those who want more specific betting advice on the first match, one could do a lot worse than prepare a purse for runs, and lots of them. The average first innings score on the ground in the last six Tests is a massive 431, which points us to the first innings runs market. Backing Australia or India for more than 400 could be a wise move.

It is, of course, trickier to work out who will score those runs but there are some clues in past performances. Michael Clarke, who has been around long enough to start imposing himself as one of the top three or four batsmen in the world, has a good omen having made 151 on his Test debut at Chinnaswamy in 2004.

For India, Sourav Ganguly made a double century against Pakistan last time out in December 2007 while two years before that Virender Sehwag made 201 against the same opposition. Of the Indian batsmen on show, Sehwag has the best average at this ground. His mark of 68 is only threatened by Sachin Tendulkar's 58 but let's face it, there are few grounds where the Little Master doesn't shine. Rahul Dravid (20) and VVS Laxman (24) have poor records.

The toss will be vital also. Only three sides have won batting second in history in Bangalore. So before a ball has been bowled India or Australia could be tripped by a hurdle which will definitely take one of them out.

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