Of beginnings and comebacks: India's Test batting order gets a makeover in 2019

2019 is the year of realization that Team India are simply too good. At home, their domination echoes to an almost sarcastic level – what even is a fourth successive innings-victory? Let’s head out already.

India began their year with lifting the Border-Gavaskar trophy in Australia – their first-ever Test series victory down-under. In August, the side returned to the longest format of the game with a winning run which is yet to end. The side cruised past West Indies in West Indies, and continued on their domination at home against South Africa and Bangladesh. As a result, India sits comfortably at the top of the World Test Championship table – with 360 points. The second-highest are Australia, who are 244 points behind. Yes, you can argue about the point-allocation system, but the fact remains that India are on a seven-match winning streak in Tests and are rightfully 1st.

The Indian pace attack has been enormous to the side’s success this year – especially when their premier fast bowler, Jasprit Bumrah, missed more than half of the side’s Tests in 2019. The pace trio of Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav wreaked havoc on the opposition – it doesn’t come as a surprise that the year also saw a new Indian record for pacers picking the most wickets at home in a match (19, against Bangladesh in Kolkata).

And so, justifiably, the bowlers will dominate the headlines. However, it would be unfair to undermine the significant contributions by the Indian batting order, and the changes made within it which reaped rewards for Virat Kohli and the team management. 2019 saw the emergence of Mayank Agarwal as a solid opening batsman. Rohit Sharma, who was barely making the frame in the Indian Test XI, now sits in the front row alongside Mayank. Rahane has found his touch, and Virat Kohli continues to make records.

Let’s take a brief look at how Indian batsmen fared throughout the year in Test cricket: 

Mayank Agarwal’s rise:

The opening slot in India’s Test batting order had been an issue for the team management throughout the previous year. Various opening combinations were experimented, but to no avail. Prithvi Shaw’s incredible performances in his debut series were a ray of hope, but his injury ahead of the first Test against Australia in December deepened India’s crisis again.

Murali Vijay, who had been axed after poor performances in England, was given a shot at revival. He failed, and in came Mayank Agarwal. The Karnataka batsman impressed on a tough pitch at Melbourne. While he scored 76 in the first innings, he held one end to top-score for the side (42), aiding India to a memorable win. 

The 28-year-old batsman, with his terrific composure and exquisite technique, sealed the opening role in the Indian team. In his first Test match at home conditions, Mayank slammed a splendid double-century against South Africa (215), and followed it with a century (108) in the second Test. He hit his second double-ton in the first Test against Bangladesh in Indore. The opener is currently 2nd among the highest run-scorers in Tests in 2019 (754 runs in 8 Tests).

Mayank Agarwal

Rohit Sharma 2.0

2013 was the year of rejuvenation of Rohit Sharma as an ODI opener. Six years later, he would assume the role in the longest format of the game. Thanks to a solid comeback from Ajinkya Rahane and impressive performances from Hanuma Vihari in the tour to West Indies, the doors for a comeback in the middle-order were all but closed for Rohit.

However, KL Rahul’s poor form allowed the Mumbai batsman a lifeline. Ahead of the series against South Africa, chief selector MSK Prasad announced that the 32-year-old batsman will be given a chance to open in Test cricket. 

He announced himself in the grandest of styles, scoring a century in both the innings in the first Test against South Africa – becoming the first player to do so in his first Test as an opener. A Test later, he brought up a double-century.

And so, a year later, Team India finds itself with a stable opening combination as it prepares itself for a tough away leg in the World Test Championship in New Zealand, which begins in February 2020.

Ajinkya Rahane’s comeback:

Ajinkya Rahane had been going through a difficult time in Test whites for India. Before the series against West Indies in August, Rahane had scored his last Test century exactly two years before, in August 2017. It had been a difficult period for Rahane, and he even had a county stint with Hampshire earlier this year to regain his form. Months of persistence finally reaped rewards for the Mumbai batsman in 2019.

He scored a ton and two half-centuries in two Tests against West Indies, winning the Man of the Series award. In Ranchi, Rahane scored a hundred against South Africa after India had lost three wickets on merely 39 runs. 

Against Bangladesh, he displayed his ability to stabilize and further steer the ship again, as he scored an important 86 after India lost Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli in quick successions. 

He scored 642 runs in eight Test matches this year, which is currently the fifth-highest by any batsman in 2019.

King Kohli on top:

Virat Kohli may not have had a solid year by his standards, but he achieved new highs as a batsman in the longest format of the game. The Indian captain went past his highest individual score in Test cricket (254*) against South Africa in Pune. 

Against Bangladesh in November, Virat Kohli scored an important ton in the second Test to steer India to a strong total in its first-ever Day-Night Test. With the century, he reached 70 international hundreds, and now remains only one shy of former Australian captain Ricky Ponting. During the innings, he also became the fastest to 5000 Test runs as captain, and only remains behind Graeme Smith for most hundreds as Test skipper.

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2020 will see India taking on the challenges in the longest format in New Zealand and Australia. While Virat Kohli’s men play two Tests in New Zealand, 60 points will be on offer for each. A four-Test series in Australia will make for an interesting spectacle, with many suggesting that India may play their first away Day-Night Test in Adelaide. 

The away tours will also be the Test for Indian batsmen, who have proved their mettle in home conditions.