Entry points of 1 down batters in tests
The piece analyses the starts openers got in tests (since January 2016 to Lords test b/w Ind Eng last week), mainly quantifying the number of balls faced by openers before the 1 down batter made his way into the middle. Excluding the case of the night watchmen, we see the below trends.
Median number of balls faced in home tests by openers is 44 balls whereas in away tests they are facing atleast an over lesser, supporting the intuition batting away from home is a tough ask as an opener.
AUS, Pak, SA, WI and NZ in general have their 1 down batter walking in earlier when they tour as compared to their home conditions.
India seem to be following the words of their head coach in taking the pitch out of the equation with a 0.5 ball differential in the median entry point when their 1 down batter ( erstwhile?) Pujara has walked in to the middle.
Tabluarly, that looks like the below.
Venue wise trends show that subcontinent pitches in India and Ban have the lower median, followed by England, with the median respectively reading 29,32 and 36 balls.
The myth that SA is a harder place for the openers might not be so true when seen below, but there is a 7 ball differential between the away openers and home openers [Check table below], evident across all the famed S-E-N-A venues, re-illustrating the toughness of conditions for tourists there.
A look at the differentials venue wise.
Joe Root’s reluctance to bat at 3 might also be because of the fact that he has been made to come in at least 15 balls earlier at home as compared to Away. England’s opening simply needs fixing at Home, especially given the current context of Sibley’s axing. And given, England’s shunting around with the likes of Malan, etc. we can expect Root’s place will firmly be at 4 for a while.
In Bairstow’s case, the opening pair that came above him in Sibley-Crawley lasted a maximum of 32 balls across 7 innings, mainly in the subcontinent, exposing him against spin. The number of balls read 1,6, 16, 27,28, 30, 32.
Perhaps why the clamour on Pujara has grown especially this series, is despite the wonderful starts he has gotten, 3 of the 4 times, he has not been able to stay at the crease, a trait for which he has donned the 1 down hat for so long. So is the clock ticking? We’ll wait and see.
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Kishan
