India has always been a substantial name in international cricket ever since their announcement with a World Cup triumph in 1983. Many players have come and went and yet the legacy left behind by them has been untouched. India has recently evolved into an all-around performance-centric country after emerging as a batting-heavy side under the leadership of Sourav Ganguly.
Many phases have bedecked Indian cricket over the glittering span of India’s antiquity in cricket and the heroics that have been pulled off on Indian soil and beyond by diminutive Indians have been nothing short of brilliant.
Before Ganguly stepped up as the captain of the national team, trying to usher the contingency out of one of its darkest cricketing phases, India was more of a bowling-heavy side with spasmodic bursts of brilliance from Sachin Tendulkar, Mohammad Azharuddin, and Rahul Dravid. However, the bowlers showed fabulous consistency as they led the charge against bigwigs of the game on their own turf.
Not many international cricketers have managed to garner decent averages against Indian bowling line-ups. However, there were always exceptions, and the players who defied the Indian best were always nightmares to the Indian bowlers, irrespective of the soil that they were playing on.
We will look at three cricketers who managed to maintain an average of 60 plus in ODI’s against India with a minimum of 1000 runs in their repertoire. The list may seem a bit tilted towards the South Africans.
Steven Smith – 65.64
The erstwhile Australian skipper has been an exemplifying appellation in cricket with the brilliance that has been up for grabs from him. Not only is he an exquisite stroke-player but his wide variety of shots makes him a cricket’s favourite. Against India, he holds an extremely impressive record as he has managed to play 20 matches out of which he has gone on to score 1116 runs at a sturdy average of 65.64. His best against India in ODI is 149 runs and his strike rate of105.88 has been absolutely destructive.
Gary Kirsten – 62.59
The opening duo of Gary Kirsten and Herschelle Gibbs has troubled India for a long time and the southpaw’s existence in the South African squad has been overwhelmingly stacked against India. Though it was under the chaperonage of Kirsten that saw India lifting the World Cup in 2011, while being a batsman for the Rainbow nation, Kirsten smashed the Indian bowlers with zero mercy. He has managed to garner runs at a decent average of 62.59 in ODI’s against the Men in Blue.
Jacques Kallis – 61.40
Another South African batsman who left India agonized frequently was one of the best all-rounders of the world, Jacques Kallis. He scored at a firm average of 61.40 that left the Indian bowlers scratching their heads. His phenomenal stroke play has not just been decisive for South Africa but his leading charge has always been an impressive factor against the Indian lions. He was also an industrious bowler and his knack for timely wickets has always been a major trouble for India in their OD enterprises against the Rainbow Nation.
