The Indian cricket team has struggled in the opening game of the Test series for the last 20 years, especially in countries like England, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
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The Indian cricket team are preparing themselves for an important series in the next four months. Virat Kohli’s Indian cricket team will take on New Zealand in the final of the ICC World Test Championship in Southampton on June 18. After the end of the ICC World Test Championship final, India will take on England for a five-match series starting from August. India finished on top of the ICC World Test Championship with solid performances against South Africa, Bangladesh, West Indies, England and Australia. Their only loss in the entire cycle was against New Zealand.
India’s first match will be the ICC World Test Championship final. This will be a slight problem for Kohli and this team. The India cricket team will be able to practice in the UK from June 6 after they serve a three-day hard quarantine. Although, they will be in quarantine till 12th, the India cricket team can still train. In that period, New Zealand will play a warm-up game and two Tests against England.
For India, their situation is compounded by a haunting statistic. Ever since the start of the 21st century, the Indian cricket team has struggled in the opening Test of the tour or the series. The numbers do not make for good reading.
The statistics from the start of 2000 till now do not paint a rosy picture for the India cricket team. India has played 25 opening Tests in the SENA countries (South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia). If one includes the West Indies in this, India’s record improves slightly.
| MATCHES | WON | LOST | DRAWN | PERCENTAGE |
| 25 | 6 | 13 | 6 | 24 |
In 25 opening Test of the tours to the SENA countries and West Indies, India have won six and drawn six. They have lost 13 opening Tests in the last 20 years. If one removes the West Indies Tests, then India has won only three. India has won the opening Test of the series in South Africa only once and that was in 2006/07. The 123-run win in Johannesburg was incidentally India’s first win in Tests in South Africa. India has won the opening Test in New Zealand only once and that was in 2009 in Hamilton. That was India’s first win in New Zealand after 33 years.
India has a slightly better record in Australia. After drawing the first Test in Brisbane in 2003, they lost in Melbourne in 2007 and 2011. Kohli’s team lost a pulsating game in Adelaide by 48 runs in 2014 but they bounced back to win the 2018 Test by 31 runs. In 2020, India was bowled out for 36 in the Pink Ball Test as they lost by a big margin in Adelaide.
The situation is incredibly dire in England. India have not won the opening Test of the tour or the series there for 35 years. Their best result is a draw in 2007 and 2014 in Lord’s and Trent Bridge respectively.
Predictably, India have a great record when it comes to the opening Tests at home. In the last 21 years, India have lost only six Tests. They have won 19 and drawn 11. The losses for the opening Tests came against South Africa twice in 2000 and 2010. They lost the opening Test in India thrice to Australia in 2001, 2004 and 2017. In the recent four-match series against England, they lost the opening Test in Chennai by a big margin.
| MATCHES | WON | LOST | DRAWN | PERCENTAGE |
| 36 | 19 | 6 | 11 | 52.78 |
However, at home, India have managed to bounce back in grand style, losing only one series after an opening loss. In 2012, they won the first Test but managed to lose the series to England 1-2. The ability to bounce back has not happened frequently in overseas tours. In the last 21 years, India has bounced back from an opening Test loss in the SENA countries only once and that was in the 2020/21 series in Australia.
India’s first Test of the England summer will also be their first neutral Test in history. For 21 years, India has struggled in the opening Tests. In June, with fresh international conditions in England, that struggle might be prolonged against a disciplined New Zealand attack. The conditions in Southampton might be similar to that of the Basin Reserve in Wellington or Hagley Oval in Christchurch. The opening Test woes might only deepen in the coming days.
