Playing At Home, India Are Simply One Of Test Cricket’s Greatest Teams

India’s home record in Test cricket reads like this: 36 wins and just two losses from 44 matches.

Even if you’re not a maths wiz, that’s obviously mightily impressive. How does that rate historically? Well, for comparison, Australia’s great team in their heyday of 1997-2007 – statistically the most dominant team in Test history – won 47 Tests from 60 Tests with three defeats.

The records are almost a match across a similar duration. In other words, India at home are as formidable a team as we’ve seen in Test history.

That was reinforced by their remarkable six-wicket victory over Australia in the second Test in Delhi to regain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and remain on the cusp of qualifying for the World Test Championship final.

For long stretches, India were playing from behind against a resurgent Australia hitting back hard after an embarrassing defeat in the series-opener.

But it hardly mattered because India still won the match inside three days to beat Australia for the second straight Test within eight sessions. They turned the match in a blink of an eye, essentially in one sublime session, to inflict a soul-destroying loss to Australia who look bereft of answers.

India spectacularly rallied a couple of times after seemingly being on the brink to prove why beating them at home is one of the hardest feats in Test history. They appeared set for a big first innings deficit until spinning allrounder Axar Patel hit another half-century to get India to parity.

India’s lower order, with essentially three spinning allrounders in their line-up, have been a major contrast to Australia’s bottom half and helped paper over top-order struggles from several high-profile batters.

Even though India had fought back, Australia finished day two on top after a rousing counterattack before stumps from newly promoted opener Travis Head – a role he was well suited to in Indian conditions – and Marnus Labuschagne.

Head should have replaced struggling opener David Warner coming into the match but it happened eventually anyway after the veteran batter was substituted out of the contest.

His fearless attack seemed to light a fuse under Australia, whose confidence was rising with every run as their lead built.

But their momentum did not carry over into the third day as a refocused India – who were sloppy with the ball and field late on day two – summoned their irresistible best through spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja who continued to torment Australia’s clueless batters.

They were helped by brainless batting from a flustered Australia, who became besotted with the sweep even though they executed the shot as if they had never played it before.

The star spinners had clearly gotten inside Australia’s head as the tourists could not hold their nerve in the pivotal moment to let slip the initiative.

Once India get on top at home, buoyed by giddy fans expecting wickets every ball, they are almost impossible to stop as they landed a knockout blow to Australia, whose limited preparation ahead of the series will be heavily scrutinized.

India did not want to chase over 200 runs in the fourth innings – a target that would have proven highly challenging considering they had some wobbles getting to the lowly 115.

But victory was never really in doubt after Jadeja and Ashwin had crushed Australia’s spirit with a whitewash seemingly an inevitably from here.

India’s domination has been made even more impressive given they are without spearhead Jasprit Bumrah and dashing ‘keeper-batter Rishabh Pant. It’s hardly mattered because India at home are basically impregnable even when they aren’t firing on all cylinders.

Stats don’t lie, especially over a decade.