Blackcaps In India: Test Series Stats
Oh God, where do we even begin here? You already know that after a three test series in which the Blackcaps lost by 197 runs, 178 runs and 321 runs that the numbers aren’t gonna be too glamorous, at least not for the kiwis – a few Indian cricketers put up some sexy figures that’s for sure – but it all tells a story so here goes.
BLACKCAPS BATSMEN
Only two men come away from this test tour with their reputations enhanced with the bat and those two are Luke Ronchi and Tom Latham. Ronchi is 35 years old and this series counts for 75% of his test career so make of that what you will. Still, he was the only Blackcap to reach 200 runs and his 33.33 average would have been much nicer had he not scored 0 and 15 in the final test – his other scores were 38, 80, 35 and 32 – all good starts but he probably should have taken at least another of those 30s past a halfie.
Which is something that Tommy Latham definitely did. He half-tonned in every test – one of only three players in the series to do so (the others being Pujara and Sharma). A bit of a worry is that in the three innings he didn’t go on with, he was popped in single figures each time. But hey, Latham was the only guy who consistently grinded and from a test opener, that’s rather endearing. And while it sorta feels like he gets too many 50s that he doesn’t convert, his career rate is five 100s compared to ten 50s so that really isn’t a big deal (although two centuries came against Zimbabwe).
Guptill and Santner each had a big fifty that aided their overall figures, what was interesting about Santner here is that he faced the third most deliveries of any kiwi in India – batting at a strike-rate of under 40 which nobody with more than 25 runs on each team was slower than. For a dude who’s been looked at as more of a stroke-maker in the past, that was a new turn from our spinning all-rounder. Of course, the Indian team as a combined whole scored at a SR of 53.97 which was significantly up on the Blackcaps’ team rate of 47.56. Makes a difference when you can find singles and rotate the strike, aye?
That third test 72 from Guppy probably shows enough to if not save him from the constant criticism, at least separate him from the worst of our bats on this tour. The worst of them very clearly being Ross Taylor. 89 runs in six innings at an average of 14.83 is beyond awful for our number four. Twice he was dismissed for an egg – as a whole the BCaps had 12 ducks and zero 100s. That is so far from good enough that it’s almost funny.
With the exceptions of Taylor and Watling, who also had a bit of a shocker with the bat (though he at least tried to protect his wicket), all the regular batsmen passed 50 but other than Latham, they all passed 50 only once. Even Prince Kane could only muster a 33.75 average in his four spells at the crease – picked off by Ravi Ashwin every time. It might be a long time before you see Williamson’s name at fifth on the run-scorers list for a series again, though if he’d played that second test he’d have likely risen a couple spots. Similarly Jimmy Neesham had a fiddy and a duck in his single test, which left him with the best average but that doesn’t really count.
We also got nothing from the tail this time. Has Trent Boult always been such a pure #11? Two not outs and he still only averaged 4.00. The only innings of real note down the end was from Jeetan Patel with that 47 of his, a career-best.
INDIAN BATSMEN
Meanwhile over this side of things the numbers are huge. Cheteshwar Pujara was brilliant all the way through. For a guy whose career started off pretty feast or famine, his consistency here was a constant thorn for the kiwis. Scores of 62, 78, 87, 4, 41, 101*. The 743 balls he faced were over 300 balls more than the longest-lasting NZer – Tom Latham’s 430 balls faced. Pujara, Rahane, Kohli and Vijay can all top that figure. It took until the final test for any player on either team to score a ton but India had three centurions in that Indore match. Three hundies, 13 50s and only two ducks, compared to NZ with 0/8/12. Both those ducks came in the first innings of the first test, Saha and Shami and Shami at number ten hardly even mattered. Not being able to make regular incursions into that Indian batting order was a problem.
Virat Kohli is obviously the scary figure in that team. Compared to Ross Taylor and what he did, that was pretty damn justified too. Though remember that 211 runs of Kohli’s 309 came in that one innings – if he’d blanked in every other innings he was already guaranteed an average of at least 35. In those other five knocks he averaged 19.60 which you’ve gotta imagine Mr Hesson was quite happy with. But yeah, there’s only so long you can keep a world class batsman down and Kohli finally played the joker in his hand with a new personal best of 211 – his second double century since taking over as captain. By the way, he’s also yet to lose a home toss as captain.
India scored 1984 runs to New Zealand’s 1294 all up. Quite a big difference. One bugger that kept recurring was Rohit Sharma coming in at six after NZ had finally kicked off a few top order batsmen and he may not have cashed in with a ton but he three times passed fifty and did so scoring at 64.84 runs per hundred deliveries. Counter attacking from the middle, edging those innings further in India’s favour. Ravi Jadeja scored a lot quicker but he kept getting to slog for the declaration or bat with the tail. Three times not out for that lad. The six sixes that he hit were more than any other player.
And it wasn’t only Pujara that kept plugging away, Rahane had a couple of impressive innings (especially that superb 188) and Wriddhiman Saha twice passed fifty coming in at eight (both not out and both in the second test – hence the average). Neesham’s average of 35.50? Seven Indians can top that.
BLACKCAPS BOWLERS
Three tests, that means 60 total wickets that can be taken. India took all 60, New Zealand took only 42. Trent Boult and Mitch Santner each took ten which was pleasant enough (until you realise that Ashwin took 27) and Boult at least came out with a 33.30 average, which is respectable particularly in some of these conditions. He only really had one killer spell though. His best bowling of 3/38… this is going to sting, guys… was the best bowling that any kiwi managed in an innings this season. Nobody took more than three wickets in a frame, nobody took more than six in a game. Jeezus.
So Boult’s career average took a slight rise, just a slight one, through this series. As did everyone else’s, most of them for a lot more. One player improved his career bowling average in India. That one player was Matt Henry, who only averaged 42.33 here but his career number before this was 63.20 – having been thoroughly pasted by the Aussies a couple times.
The fact that the Blackcaps had four spinners go to work here sounds like a positive but combined Jeets, Mitch, Ish and Craigbags bowled 320.2 overs, taking 21 wickets. A wicket roughly every 15 overs. At an average of 52.57. None of that is in anyway ideal. Santner for example is now pretty much our number one spinner and in ten tests he’s never taken more than three wickets in an innings. This was his chance to bowl in proper spinning conditions and while he was solid, he hardly tore through the order at any time.
Neil Wagner and Mark Craig were the only guys under 3 RPO. Wagner was able to put together 17 maiden overs from only 66 overs of work which is quite decent, Santner topped the totals there with 25 maiden overs though he also bowled comfortably the most overs of any NZ bowler. One maiden every six overs for Santner. One maiden every five and a quarter overs for Boult. One maiden every 3.8 overs for Wagner. Jeetan Patel meanwhile was at a maiden every ten overs and change. It won’t shock you to know that a much more consistent bowling unit for India bowled 94 maidens to NZ’s 99 despite bowling around 150 fewer overs.
Taking a peek at strike rates just finally, Boult’s 64.0 rate was good. Again, he was the one dude who can’t be overly disappointed in what he did over the series. Ish Sodhi was actually second on that list, a wicket every 70 balls. His economy rate was poor but he did pick up three wickets in 35 overs. Then you have Mark Craig way out at 141.0 – that’s a shade under 24 overs between wickets.
INDIAN BOWLERS
India rolled with five main bowlers this series, Yadav and Kumar alternating as the bonus seamer – with Kumar having much more success on the back of that 5/48 where he reversed that sucker all over the place. Yadav didn’t break through in the same way but he did keep the economy rate down which helps everyone. Even Shami who some might even see as a release bowler when you look at the list of them, he averaged better than any kiwi bowler. 30 runs per wicket is not something to take lightly from a third strike weapon. He was the most expensive of the Indian seamers but a mark of 3.23 runs per over really isn’t that bad.
But if we’re looking at these numbers here the two folks that you have to focus on are the main spinners. The Ravis. Jadeja took fewer wickets but was harder to get away, Ashwin was more expensive but more aggressive and that’s why they work so well as a tandem – bowling 290.3 overs between them (out of 452.3 – 64% of them). And look, if Jadeja was the more defensive fella he still averaged 24.07 for his 14 wickets. And the economy rate of 2.34 is absolutely superb. 39 maidens from 144 overs, glance back at those kiwi figures of overs between maidens and now learn that Jadeja bowled a maiden every 3.7 overs. When people talk about plugging an end, this is what they mean and he still picked up buckets of wickets.
Though not buckets like what Ashwin achieved. 27 wickets in the series at an average of 17.77 runs and 32.5 deliveries between each one of them. He took 10 wickets in the first test and 13 in the third test. The second was more of a seamer’s deck but he still took 4 wickets 39 overs – that means a strike-rate of sub-60 and again, take a peek back at the kiwi figures for some comparison on that. In his worst performance he was still better than any kiwi on the whole.