There is a reason why Test cricket is the most challenging format of the game. One that tests your skills, patience, perseverance, tenacity, character. And off-course versatility. Yep! No other format tests your ability to adapt to the obscure conditions and situations than five-day cricket.

This is why fans, pundits are always skeptical about the quality of a batsman unless he goes on to scale the unchartered territories. This is why everyone celebrates the likes of <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/mayank-agarwals-215-saw-him-beating-steve-smith-as-the-highest-individual-test-score-of-2019/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Steve Smith</a>, Virat Kohli, Brian Lara or Sachin Tendulkar, Hashim Amla, Sunil Gavaskar, VVS Laxman, etc for their ability and character that they show at the times of adversity.

Challenges in Test cricket are not only restricted to geographical location, but the type of ball in use also plays a huge part. While the Dukes traditionally seam and swing for a longer period, the SG ball used in India provides you with the challenge of countering spin and reverse-swing. Similarly for a bowler, different conditions and ball, provide them with different challenges, forcing them to adjust to ideal lines and lengths suited to a particular surface.

South Africa is currently in India to feature in a 3-match Test series, and Dean Elgar and <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/india-vs-south-africa-virat-kohli-pulls-off-a-blinder-to-get-rid-of-quinton-de-kock/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Quinton de Kock</a> showed in Visakhapatnam how to counter the conditions and the adversity of the situation. It was a significant achievement considering India&#8217;s dominance at home and the fact that a lot of celebrated cricketers have failed to make any impact.

We in India, always rate Indian batsmen based on their performance in overseas conditions. While that is fair enough, it&#8217;s not fair to look down on their home performances with disdain. But what about the overseas cricketers who come to India and most of them leave with their tails firmly between their legs? This article is an attempt to list bonafide cricket legends who struggled to make an impact in Indian conditions.

Here is a list of five cricketers who failed in India

Desmond Haynes: Matches: 10 Runs: 377 Avg: 22.17 100s: 0 HS: 58

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-360429" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Desmond-Haynes.jpg" alt="Desmond Haynes" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-360429" class="wp-caption-text">Desmond Haynes. (Photo by Patrick Eagar/Popperfoto via Getty Images/Getty Images)</figcaption>

He was the guy who made Test match opening glamorous. In an era where Test match openers would follow the template of respecting the new-ball bowlers or in the words of the legendary <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/i-think-there-is-more-to-it-than-just-cricketing-performance-of-ashwin-that-has-kept-him-out-of-the-team-says-sunil-gavaskar/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Sunil Gavaskar</a>, “give the first hour to the bowlers”, Haynes believed in dominating them from the very outset. While other batsmen would try and leave the new cherry until its shine was gone, Haynes believed in removing its lackre via his bat.

If <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/virender-sehwag-trolls-imran-khan-over-welder-from-the-bronx-jibe/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Virender Sehwag</a> and Matthew Hayden are modern-day revolutionists when it comes to Test match opening, Desmond Haynes is the good old’ gladiator; a brooding violent assassin and the original perpetrator of the whirlwind change in approach that he brought to Test match opening. His backfoot play was pristine; old clippings of his ferocious pulls will testify that. And, he was equally brilliant when it came to playing in the ‘V’.

Haynes started his career against India in the summer of 1974 and wasted no time in displaying his precocious talent, scoring 107 and 93 to help the West Indies hammer India. During the next 17 years, Haynes would go on and terrorize the bowlers all over the world, churning out 100s, double-hundreds for fun. That too at a strike-rate of 60.28 and an equally impressive average of 44.72.

However, it was the Indian soil that always proved to be arch-nemesis. In 10 Test matches and across 18 innings on Indian soil, Haynes could only manage 377 runs at an average of 22.17 with his highest-score being 58.

Aravinda de Silva: Matches: 10 Runs: 403 Avg: 25.18 100s: 1 HS: 110*

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-236872" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Aravinda-de-Silva.jpg" alt="Aravinda de Silva" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-236872" class="wp-caption-text">Aravinda De Silva. (Photo by Getty Images)</figcaption>

A veteran of 93 Tests, a bedrock of the <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/comedy-of-errors-in-karachi-as-pakistan-fielders-goof-up-big-time-against-sri-lanka/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Sri Lankan</a> team for almost 20 years, a player who was a perfect amalgamation of skill, talent, flamboyance, grit, patience, perseverance, tenacity, and character. An ideal crisis-man. If you are a cricket fan of a certain vintage, if you close your eyes and think of all those attributes that I gave above, the name that will almost instantly come into your mind is Aravinda de Silva. He remains one of the most flamboyant batsmen to have ever graced this beautiful game.

The Sri Lankan belonged to a rare breed of Asian Cricketers who were equally proficient in handling both pace and spin. His ability to rock back onto the backfoot and ferociously pull the fastest bowlers in the world coupled with his mastery over reading the ball from the spinner&#8217;s hand made him a joy to watch. De Silva was a chief nemesis for Team India in the 1990s.

Who can forget his stunning counter-attack in the semi-finals of the 1996 World Cup? In Test too, he had a decent overall record against the Men in Blue. In 19 Tests against India, de Silva scored 1252 runs at an average of 41.73 including five half-centuries and three fifties. However, the Sri Lankan had his fair share of struggles in the Indian conditions. His numbers in India read: 403 runs across 17 innings [10 Tests] at an average of 25.18. Like de Silva, another Sri Lankan stalwart- Arjuna Ranatunga- also has a poultry record in India.

In 11 Tests, the former skipper could manage just 384 runs at an average of 20.21 with two half-centuries. The struggle of the two greats perhaps best explains the reason for Sri Lanka&#8217;s dire Test record in India.

Shane Warne: Matches: 9 Wickets: 34 BBI: 6-125 Avg: 43.11 5-wicket-haul: 1

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-356255" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/CT_349131.jpg" alt width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-356255" class="wp-caption-text">Australian Shane Warne (Photo by Jamie McDonald/Getty Images)</figcaption>

The best leg-spinner in the history of this beautiful game. Hell! Some will even say, &#8216;The Greatest spinner of all time&#8217; and very few voices will rise in disapproval. A maverick. An enigma. A crowd puller. An out-and-out match-winner. An epitome of why one should never give up. An orchestrator of two of the greatest deliveries ever bowled to Mike Gatting and Andrew Strauss.

The first bowler in the history of the game to rack up 700 wickets, Shane Warne. During his 15-year-old career we saw <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/shane-warne-banned-from-driving-after-over-speeding-sixth-time-in-two-years/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Shane Warne</a> script many great heists for Australia, play with the mind of batsmen on a plethora of occasions and scale almost every unchartered territory…..barring India!! Warne&#8217;s career coincided with India boasting of probably the greatest players of spin bowling.

While he faced the wrath of a rampaging Sachin  Tendulkar during his tours of 1996 and 1998, three years later in 2001, he would see an artist masquerading as a Test batsman, VVS Laxman, come down the track and hit him against the turn consistently. While he finally pulled it back somewhat during <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/after-new-zealand-cricket-australia-unveils-their-retro-odi-kit/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Australia&#8217;s</a> historic win, his overall numbers in India are a far cry from his career stats.

Muttiah Muralitharan: Matches: 11 Wickets: 40 BBI: 7-100 Avg: 45.45 5-wicket-haul: 2

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-206442" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Muttiah-Muralitharan.jpg" alt="Muttiah Muralitharan" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-206442" class="wp-caption-text">Muttiah Muralitharan of Sri Lanka. (Photo by Tom Shaw / Getty Images)</figcaption>

The silent assassin. A bowler who could spin a ball square even on glass. Those eyes. The guile, the mystery, the perseverance. 800 Test wickets. The great Muttiah Muralitharan bamboozled batsmen all over the world with his bag of tricks. His record at home, in particular, is mind blogging.  Such was Murali&#8217;s dominance at home that during the span of his career, India, despite boasting of some of the greatest players&#8217;of spin bowling, could never win a Test series on Lankan soil.

Which is why it is so baffling to find Muralitharan in this dreaded list. Murali got his first taste of Indian soil during <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/pakistan-vs-sri-lanka-1st-t20i-match-prediction-weather-report-pitch-conditions-playing-xis-and-live-streaming-details/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Sri Lanka’s</a> sojourn in 1994. The off-spinner returned with 12 wickets at an average of 35.00. But his performances and fortune took a catastrophic turn three years later when he averaged a barely believable 103.66. The  2005 tour was easily his best.

The off-spinner claimed 16 wickets at an average of 31.00 before another ordeal at the hands of the swashbuckling Virender Sehwag four years later, meant he ended his last tour of the country with just nine wickets at 65.66. Overall, in 11 Test matches, the champion off-spinner managed just 40 wickets at an average of 45.45, a far cry from his career average of 22.72.

Ricky Ponting: Matches: 14 Runs: 662 Avg: 26.48 100s: 1 HS: 123

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-289777" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Ricky-Ponting-Test.jpg" alt="Ricky Ponting Test" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-289777" class="wp-caption-text">Ricky Ponting of Australia acknowledges the crowd. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)</figcaption>

&#8220;My arch nemesis when I was playing against India was Harbhajan Singh,” Ponting said in 2016. “I still get nightmares about him.&#8221;

That statement by <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/michael-hussey-picks-ricky-ponting-over-ms-dhoni-ipl-over-bbl/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ricky Ponting</a> pretty much summed up his ordeal in India. One of the greatest batsmen the world has ever seen, easily the greatest hooker/puller of a cricket ball, the second-highest run-getter in world cricket, a batsman who scaled almost every unchartered territory. Well! Except for India. That is not to say that Ponting struggles in general against India.

The former Australian captain played some outstanding innings against the Indians across all formats of the game. Who can ever forget his epic 140 in the finals of the 2003 World Cup? That knock single-handedly crushed the dreams of 1.3 billion Indians. But, despite the nationalities, every single man admired the genius of Ponting.

Who can forget that epic 257 at the Adelaide Oval in 2003; one that was overshadowed by <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/yuvraj-singh-recalls-his-maiden-india-call-up-with-a-throwback-tweet-alongside-rahul-dravid-and-vijay-dahiya/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Rahul Dravid’s</a> brilliance [233 &amp; 72 not out]? Barring  Indian conditions, Ponting has a penchant for the Indian bowling. In 15 Tests Down Under, the Aussie No.3 racked up a ridiculous 1,893 runs at an average of 86.04 including seven hundred and as many half-centuries.

But, the former Aussie captain, could not repeat those heroics on Indian soil. And, the main reason for his struggles was the presence of Harbhajan. Ponting was one of three victims of Harbhajan’s hattrick at the Eden Gardens on a tour that was the lowest point of his career. The Aussie legend was reduced to a walking wicket in that series, managing just 17 runs across six innings at a damming average of 3.40.

The Turbanator had a wood over Ponting throughout his career, accounting for the Aussie captain ten times. Ponting finally got it right during his sixth tour of India in 2010 where he racked up 224 runs in 2 Tests at an average of 56.00. His overall numbers in India read: 662 runs in 14 Tests at an average of 26.48.

There is a reason why Test cricket is the most challenging format of the game. One that tests your skills, patience, perseverance, tenacity, character. And off-course versatility. Yep! No other format tests your ability to adapt to the obscure conditions and situations than five-day cricket.&nbsp;
This is why fans, pundits are always skeptical about the quality of a batsman unless he goes on to scale the unchartered territories. This is why everyone celebrates the likes of <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/mayank-agarwals-215-saw-him-beating-steve-smith-as-the-highest-individual-test-score-of-2019/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Steve Smith</a>, Virat Kohli, Brian Lara or Sachin Tendulkar, Hashim Amla, Sunil Gavaskar, VVS Laxman, etc for their ability and character that they show at the times of adversity.&nbsp;
Challenges in Test cricket are not only restricted to geographical location, but the type of ball in use also plays a huge part. While the Dukes traditionally seam and swing for a longer period, the SG ball used in India provides you with the challenge of countering spin and reverse-swing. Similarly for a bowler, different conditions and ball, provide them with different challenges, forcing them to adjust to ideal lines and lengths suited to a particular surface.
South Africa is currently in India to feature in a 3-match Test series, and Dean Elgar and <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/india-vs-south-africa-virat-kohli-pulls-off-a-blinder-to-get-rid-of-quinton-de-kock/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Quinton de Kock</a> showed in Visakhapatnam how to counter the conditions and the adversity of the situation. It was a significant achievement considering India’s dominance at home and the fact that a lot of celebrated cricketers have failed to make any impact.
We in India, always rate Indian batsmen based on their performance in overseas conditions. While that is fair enough, it’s not fair to look down on their home performances with disdain. But what about the overseas cricketers who come to India and most of them leave with their tails firmly between their legs? This article is an attempt to list bonafide cricket legends who struggled to make an impact in Indian conditions.
<h3>Here is a list of five cricketers who failed in India</h3>
<h3>Desmond Haynes: Matches: 10 Runs: 377 Avg: 22.17 100s: 0 HS: 58</h3>
<figure id="attachment_360429" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-360429" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-360429" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Desmond-Haynes.jpg" alt="Desmond Haynes" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-360429" class="wp-caption-text">Desmond Haynes. (Photo by Patrick Eagar/Popperfoto via Getty Images/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
He was the guy who made Test match opening glamorous. In an era where Test match openers would follow the template of respecting the new-ball bowlers or in the words of the legendary <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/i-think-there-is-more-to-it-than-just-cricketing-performance-of-ashwin-that-has-kept-him-out-of-the-team-says-sunil-gavaskar/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Sunil Gavaskar</a>, “give the first hour to the bowlers”, Haynes believed in dominating them from the very outset. While other batsmen would try and leave the new cherry until its shine was gone, Haynes believed in removing its lackre via his bat.
If <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/virender-sehwag-trolls-imran-khan-over-welder-from-the-bronx-jibe/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Virender Sehwag</a> and Matthew Hayden are modern-day revolutionists when it comes to Test match opening, Desmond Haynes is the good old’ gladiator; a brooding violent assassin and the original perpetrator of the whirlwind change in approach that he brought to Test match opening. His backfoot play was pristine; old clippings of his ferocious pulls will testify that. And, he was equally brilliant when it came to playing in the ‘V’. 
Haynes started his career against India in the summer of 1974 and wasted no time in displaying his precocious talent, scoring 107 and 93 to help the West Indies hammer India. During the next 17 years, Haynes would go on and terrorize the bowlers all over the world, churning out 100s, double-hundreds for fun. That too at a strike-rate of 60.28 and an equally impressive average of 44.72.
However, it was the Indian soil that always proved to be arch-nemesis. In 10 Test matches and across 18 innings on Indian soil, Haynes could only manage 377 runs at an average of 22.17 with his highest-score being 58.

<h3>Aravinda de Silva: Matches: 10 Runs: 403 Avg: 25.18 100s: 1 HS: 110*</h3>
<figure id="attachment_236872" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-236872" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-236872" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Aravinda-de-Silva.jpg" alt="Aravinda de Silva" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-236872" class="wp-caption-text">Aravinda De Silva. (Photo by Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
A veteran of 93 Tests, a bedrock of the <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/comedy-of-errors-in-karachi-as-pakistan-fielders-goof-up-big-time-against-sri-lanka/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Sri Lankan</a> team for almost 20 years, a player who was a perfect amalgamation of skill, talent, flamboyance, grit, patience, perseverance, tenacity, and character. An ideal crisis-man. If you are a cricket fan of a certain vintage, if you close your eyes and think of all those attributes that I gave above, the name that will almost instantly come into your mind is Aravinda de Silva. He remains one of the most flamboyant batsmen to have ever graced this beautiful game.
The Sri Lankan belonged to a rare breed of Asian Cricketers who were equally proficient in handling both pace and spin. His ability to rock back onto the backfoot and ferociously pull the fastest bowlers in the world coupled with his mastery over reading the ball from the spinner’s hand made him a joy to watch. De Silva was a chief nemesis for Team India in the 1990s. 
Who can forget his stunning counter-attack in the semi-finals of the 1996 World Cup? In Test too, he had a decent overall record against the Men in Blue. In 19 Tests against India, de Silva scored 1252 runs at an average of 41.73 including five half-centuries and three fifties. However, the Sri Lankan had his fair share of struggles in the Indian conditions. His numbers in India read: 403 runs across 17 innings [10 Tests] at an average of 25.18. Like de Silva, another Sri Lankan stalwart- Arjuna Ranatunga- also has a poultry record in India.
In 11 Tests, the former skipper could manage just 384 runs at an average of 20.21 with two half-centuries. The struggle of the two greats perhaps best explains the reason for Sri Lanka’s dire Test record in India.

<h3>Shane Warne: Matches: 9 Wickets: 34 BBI: 6-125 Avg: 43.11 5-wicket-haul: 1</h3>
<figure id="attachment_356255" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-356255" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-356255" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/CT_349131.jpg" alt width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-356255" class="wp-caption-text">Australian Shane Warne (Photo by Jamie McDonald/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
The best leg-spinner in the history of this beautiful game. Hell! Some will even say, ‘The Greatest spinner of all time’ and very few voices will rise in disapproval. A maverick. An enigma. A crowd puller. An out-and-out match-winner. An epitome of why one should never give up. An orchestrator of two of the greatest deliveries ever bowled to Mike Gatting and Andrew Strauss. 
The first bowler in the history of the game to rack up 700 wickets, Shane Warne. During his 15-year-old career we saw <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/shane-warne-banned-from-driving-after-over-speeding-sixth-time-in-two-years/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Shane Warne</a> script many great heists for Australia, play with the mind of batsmen on a plethora of occasions and scale almost every unchartered territory…..barring India!! Warne’s career coincided with India boasting of probably the greatest players of spin bowling. 
While he faced the wrath of a rampaging Sachin&nbsp; Tendulkar during his tours of 1996 and 1998, three years later in 2001, he would see an artist masquerading as a Test batsman, VVS Laxman, come down the track and hit him against the turn consistently. While he finally pulled it back somewhat during <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/after-new-zealand-cricket-australia-unveils-their-retro-odi-kit/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Australia’s</a> historic win, his overall numbers in India are a far cry from his career stats.

<h3>Muttiah Muralitharan: Matches: 11 Wickets: 40 BBI: 7-100 Avg: 45.45 5-wicket-haul: 2</h3>
<figure id="attachment_206442" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-206442" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-206442" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Muttiah-Muralitharan.jpg" alt="Muttiah Muralitharan" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-206442" class="wp-caption-text">Muttiah Muralitharan of Sri Lanka. (Photo by Tom Shaw / Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
The silent assassin. A bowler who could spin a ball square even on glass. Those eyes. The guile, the mystery, the perseverance. 800 Test wickets. The great Muttiah Muralitharan bamboozled batsmen all over the world with his bag of tricks. His record at home, in particular, is mind blogging.&nbsp; Such was Murali’s dominance at home that during the span of his career, India, despite boasting of some of the greatest players’of spin bowling, could never win a Test series on Lankan soil. 
Which is why it is so baffling to find Muralitharan in this dreaded list. Murali got his first taste of Indian soil during <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/pakistan-vs-sri-lanka-1st-t20i-match-prediction-weather-report-pitch-conditions-playing-xis-and-live-streaming-details/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Sri Lanka’s</a> sojourn in 1994. The off-spinner returned with 12 wickets at an average of 35.00. But his performances and fortune took a catastrophic turn three years later when he averaged a barely believable 103.66. The&nbsp; 2005 tour was easily his best. 
The off-spinner claimed 16 wickets at an average of 31.00 before another ordeal at the hands of the swashbuckling Virender Sehwag four years later, meant he ended his last tour of the country with just nine wickets at 65.66.&nbsp;Overall, in 11 Test matches, the champion off-spinner managed just 40 wickets at an average of 45.45, a far cry from his career average of 22.72.

<h3>Ricky Ponting: Matches: 14 Runs: 662 Avg: 26.48 100s: 1 HS: 123</h3>
<figure id="attachment_289777" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-289777" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-289777" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Ricky-Ponting-Test.jpg" alt="Ricky Ponting Test" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-289777" class="wp-caption-text">Ricky Ponting of Australia acknowledges the crowd. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
“My arch nemesis when I was playing against India was Harbhajan Singh,” Ponting said in 2016. “I still get nightmares about him.”
That statement by <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/michael-hussey-picks-ricky-ponting-over-ms-dhoni-ipl-over-bbl/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ricky Ponting</a> pretty much summed up his ordeal in India. One of the greatest batsmen the world has ever seen, easily the greatest hooker/puller of a cricket ball, the second-highest run-getter in world cricket, a batsman who scaled almost every unchartered territory. Well! Except for India. That is not to say that Ponting struggles in general against India. 
The former Australian captain played some outstanding innings against the Indians across all formats of the game. Who can ever forget his epic 140 in the finals of the 2003 World Cup? That knock single-handedly crushed the dreams of 1.3 billion Indians. But, despite the nationalities, every single man admired the genius of Ponting. 
Who can forget that epic 257 at the Adelaide Oval in 2003; one that was overshadowed by <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/yuvraj-singh-recalls-his-maiden-india-call-up-with-a-throwback-tweet-alongside-rahul-dravid-and-vijay-dahiya/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Rahul Dravid’s</a> brilliance [233 &amp; 72 not out]? Barring&nbsp; Indian conditions, Ponting has a penchant for the Indian bowling. In 15 Tests Down Under, the Aussie No.3 racked up a ridiculous 1,893 runs at an average of 86.04 including seven hundred and as many half-centuries.
But, the former Aussie captain, could not repeat those heroics on Indian soil. And, the main reason for his struggles was the presence of Harbhajan. Ponting was one of three victims of Harbhajan’s hattrick at the Eden Gardens on a tour that was the lowest point of his career. The Aussie legend was reduced to a walking wicket in that series, managing just 17 runs across six innings at a damming average of 3.40. 
The Turbanator had a wood over Ponting throughout his career, accounting for the Aussie captain ten times. Ponting finally got it right during his sixth tour of India in 2010 where he racked up 224 runs in 2 Tests at an average of 56.00. His overall numbers in India read: 662 runs in 14 Tests at an average of 26.48.

There is a reason why Test cricket is the most challenging format of the game. One that tests your skills, patience, perseverance, tenacity, character. And off-course versatility. Yep! No other format tests your ability to adapt to the obscure conditions and situations than five-day cricket. 
This is why fans, pundits are always skeptical about the quality of a batsman unless he goes on to scale the unchartered territories. This is why everyone celebrates the likes of <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/mayank-agarwals-215-saw-him-beating-steve-smith-as-the-highest-individual-test-score-of-2019/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Steve Smith</a>, Virat Kohli, Brian Lara or Sachin Tendulkar, Hashim Amla, Sunil Gavaskar, VVS Laxman, etc for their ability and character that they show at the times of adversity. 
Challenges in Test cricket are not only restricted to geographical location, but the type of ball in use also plays a huge part. While the Dukes traditionally seam and swing for a longer period, the SG ball used in India provides you with the challenge of countering spin and reverse-swing. Similarly for a bowler, different conditions and ball, provide them with different challenges, forcing them to adjust to ideal lines and lengths suited to a particular surface.
South Africa is currently in India to feature in a 3-match Test series, and Dean Elgar and <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/india-vs-south-africa-virat-kohli-pulls-off-a-blinder-to-get-rid-of-quinton-de-kock/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Quinton de Kock</a> showed in Visakhapatnam how to counter the conditions and the adversity of the situation. It was a significant achievement considering India&#8217;s dominance at home and the fact that a lot of celebrated cricketers have failed to make any impact.
We in India, always rate Indian batsmen based on their performance in overseas conditions. While that is fair enough, it&#8217;s not fair to look down on their home performances with disdain. But what about the overseas cricketers who come to India and most of them leave with their tails firmly between their legs? This article is an attempt to list bonafide cricket legends who struggled to make an impact in Indian conditions.
<h3>Here is a list of five cricketers who failed in India</h3>
<h3>Desmond Haynes: Matches: 10 Runs: 377 Avg: 22.17 100s: 0 HS: 58</h3>
<figure id="attachment_360429" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-360429" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-360429" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Desmond-Haynes.jpg" alt="Desmond Haynes" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-360429" class="wp-caption-text">Desmond Haynes. (Photo by Patrick Eagar/Popperfoto via Getty Images/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
He was the guy who made Test match opening glamorous. In an era where Test match openers would follow the template of respecting the new-ball bowlers or in the words of the legendary <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/i-think-there-is-more-to-it-than-just-cricketing-performance-of-ashwin-that-has-kept-him-out-of-the-team-says-sunil-gavaskar/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Sunil Gavaskar</a>, “give the first hour to the bowlers”, Haynes believed in dominating them from the very outset. While other batsmen would try and leave the new cherry until its shine was gone, Haynes believed in removing its lackre via his bat.
If <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/virender-sehwag-trolls-imran-khan-over-welder-from-the-bronx-jibe/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Virender Sehwag</a> and Matthew Hayden are modern-day revolutionists when it comes to Test match opening, Desmond Haynes is the good old’ gladiator; a brooding violent assassin and the original perpetrator of the whirlwind change in approach that he brought to Test match opening. His backfoot play was pristine; old clippings of his ferocious pulls will testify that. And, he was equally brilliant when it came to playing in the ‘V’. 
Haynes started his career against India in the summer of 1974 and wasted no time in displaying his precocious talent, scoring 107 and 93 to help the West Indies hammer India. During the next 17 years, Haynes would go on and terrorize the bowlers all over the world, churning out 100s, double-hundreds for fun. That too at a strike-rate of 60.28 and an equally impressive average of 44.72.
However, it was the Indian soil that always proved to be arch-nemesis. In 10 Test matches and across 18 innings on Indian soil, Haynes could only manage 377 runs at an average of 22.17 with his highest-score being 58.

<h3>Aravinda de Silva: Matches: 10 Runs: 403 Avg: 25.18 100s: 1 HS: 110*</h3>
<figure id="attachment_236872" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-236872" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-236872" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Aravinda-de-Silva.jpg" alt="Aravinda de Silva" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-236872" class="wp-caption-text">Aravinda De Silva. (Photo by Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
A veteran of 93 Tests, a bedrock of the <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/comedy-of-errors-in-karachi-as-pakistan-fielders-goof-up-big-time-against-sri-lanka/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Sri Lankan</a> team for almost 20 years, a player who was a perfect amalgamation of skill, talent, flamboyance, grit, patience, perseverance, tenacity, and character. An ideal crisis-man. If you are a cricket fan of a certain vintage, if you close your eyes and think of all those attributes that I gave above, the name that will almost instantly come into your mind is Aravinda de Silva. He remains one of the most flamboyant batsmen to have ever graced this beautiful game.
The Sri Lankan belonged to a rare breed of Asian Cricketers who were equally proficient in handling both pace and spin. His ability to rock back onto the backfoot and ferociously pull the fastest bowlers in the world coupled with his mastery over reading the ball from the spinner&#8217;s hand made him a joy to watch. De Silva was a chief nemesis for Team India in the 1990s. 
Who can forget his stunning counter-attack in the semi-finals of the 1996 World Cup? In Test too, he had a decent overall record against the Men in Blue. In 19 Tests against India, de Silva scored 1252 runs at an average of 41.73 including five half-centuries and three fifties. However, the Sri Lankan had his fair share of struggles in the Indian conditions. His numbers in India read: 403 runs across 17 innings [10 Tests] at an average of 25.18. Like de Silva, another Sri Lankan stalwart- Arjuna Ranatunga- also has a poultry record in India.
In 11 Tests, the former skipper could manage just 384 runs at an average of 20.21 with two half-centuries. The struggle of the two greats perhaps best explains the reason for Sri Lanka&#8217;s dire Test record in India.

<h3>Shane Warne: Matches: 9 Wickets: 34 BBI: 6-125 Avg: 43.11 5-wicket-haul: 1</h3>
<figure id="attachment_356255" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-356255" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-356255" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/CT_349131.jpg" alt width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-356255" class="wp-caption-text">Australian Shane Warne (Photo by Jamie McDonald/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
The best leg-spinner in the history of this beautiful game. Hell! Some will even say, &#8216;The Greatest spinner of all time&#8217; and very few voices will rise in disapproval. A maverick. An enigma. A crowd puller. An out-and-out match-winner. An epitome of why one should never give up. An orchestrator of two of the greatest deliveries ever bowled to Mike Gatting and Andrew Strauss. 
The first bowler in the history of the game to rack up 700 wickets, Shane Warne. During his 15-year-old career we saw <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/shane-warne-banned-from-driving-after-over-speeding-sixth-time-in-two-years/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Shane Warne</a> script many great heists for Australia, play with the mind of batsmen on a plethora of occasions and scale almost every unchartered territory…..barring India!! Warne&#8217;s career coincided with India boasting of probably the greatest players of spin bowling. 
While he faced the wrath of a rampaging Sachin  Tendulkar during his tours of 1996 and 1998, three years later in 2001, he would see an artist masquerading as a Test batsman, VVS Laxman, come down the track and hit him against the turn consistently. While he finally pulled it back somewhat during <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/after-new-zealand-cricket-australia-unveils-their-retro-odi-kit/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Australia&#8217;s</a> historic win, his overall numbers in India are a far cry from his career stats.

<h3>Muttiah Muralitharan: Matches: 11 Wickets: 40 BBI: 7-100 Avg: 45.45 5-wicket-haul: 2</h3>
<figure id="attachment_206442" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-206442" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-206442" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Muttiah-Muralitharan.jpg" alt="Muttiah Muralitharan" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-206442" class="wp-caption-text">Muttiah Muralitharan of Sri Lanka. (Photo by Tom Shaw / Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
The silent assassin. A bowler who could spin a ball square even on glass. Those eyes. The guile, the mystery, the perseverance. 800 Test wickets. The great Muttiah Muralitharan bamboozled batsmen all over the world with his bag of tricks. His record at home, in particular, is mind blogging.  Such was Murali&#8217;s dominance at home that during the span of his career, India, despite boasting of some of the greatest players&#8217;of spin bowling, could never win a Test series on Lankan soil. 
Which is why it is so baffling to find Muralitharan in this dreaded list. Murali got his first taste of Indian soil during <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/pakistan-vs-sri-lanka-1st-t20i-match-prediction-weather-report-pitch-conditions-playing-xis-and-live-streaming-details/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Sri Lanka’s</a> sojourn in 1994. The off-spinner returned with 12 wickets at an average of 35.00. But his performances and fortune took a catastrophic turn three years later when he averaged a barely believable 103.66. The  2005 tour was easily his best. 
The off-spinner claimed 16 wickets at an average of 31.00 before another ordeal at the hands of the swashbuckling Virender Sehwag four years later, meant he ended his last tour of the country with just nine wickets at 65.66. Overall, in 11 Test matches, the champion off-spinner managed just 40 wickets at an average of 45.45, a far cry from his career average of 22.72.

<h3>Ricky Ponting: Matches: 14 Runs: 662 Avg: 26.48 100s: 1 HS: 123</h3>
<figure id="attachment_289777" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-289777" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-289777" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Ricky-Ponting-Test.jpg" alt="Ricky Ponting Test" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-289777" class="wp-caption-text">Ricky Ponting of Australia acknowledges the crowd. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
&#8220;My arch nemesis when I was playing against India was Harbhajan Singh,” Ponting said in 2016. “I still get nightmares about him.&#8221;
That statement by <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/michael-hussey-picks-ricky-ponting-over-ms-dhoni-ipl-over-bbl/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ricky Ponting</a> pretty much summed up his ordeal in India. One of the greatest batsmen the world has ever seen, easily the greatest hooker/puller of a cricket ball, the second-highest run-getter in world cricket, a batsman who scaled almost every unchartered territory. Well! Except for India. That is not to say that Ponting struggles in general against India. 
The former Australian captain played some outstanding innings against the Indians across all formats of the game. Who can ever forget his epic 140 in the finals of the 2003 World Cup? That knock single-handedly crushed the dreams of 1.3 billion Indians. But, despite the nationalities, every single man admired the genius of Ponting. 
Who can forget that epic 257 at the Adelaide Oval in 2003; one that was overshadowed by <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/yuvraj-singh-recalls-his-maiden-india-call-up-with-a-throwback-tweet-alongside-rahul-dravid-and-vijay-dahiya/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Rahul Dravid’s</a> brilliance [233 &amp; 72 not out]? Barring  Indian conditions, Ponting has a penchant for the Indian bowling. In 15 Tests Down Under, the Aussie No.3 racked up a ridiculous 1,893 runs at an average of 86.04 including seven hundred and as many half-centuries.
But, the former Aussie captain, could not repeat those heroics on Indian soil. And, the main reason for his struggles was the presence of Harbhajan. Ponting was one of three victims of Harbhajan’s hattrick at the Eden Gardens on a tour that was the lowest point of his career. The Aussie legend was reduced to a walking wicket in that series, managing just 17 runs across six innings at a damming average of 3.40. 
The Turbanator had a wood over Ponting throughout his career, accounting for the Aussie captain ten times. Ponting finally got it right during his sixth tour of India in 2010 where he racked up 224 runs in 2 Tests at an average of 56.00. His overall numbers in India read: 662 runs in 14 Tests at an average of 26.48.

These batsmen didn't find it easy to adjust to the challenging conditions in India.

Five celebrated foreign legends who failed in India in Test cricket

It was a significant achievement considering India's dominance at home and the fact that a lot of celebrated cricketers have failed to make any impact