World XI that can beat Team India at home in Tests

India have been near-invincible when it comes to playing in home conditions. Since 2013, the team has won an awe-inspiring 28 Tests, remaining unbeaten in their 12th consecutive Test series in India. Their solitary defeat came back in Pune versus Australia in 2017. Virat Kohli and Co whitewashed South Africa in the three-match Test series and then swept aside Bangladesh without even breaking a sweat. Prior to the home season, India and Australia were level on 10 successive home Test series victories. India’s last Test series drubbing was versus England in 2012. Leave alone winning a series, visiting teams have found it tough to even compete against India in the latter’s backyard. However, if a team is formed with the best players around the globe, then India’s dominating run may come to an end. In our article, let’s take a look at a World XI that can defeat India at home Dimuth Karunaratne Dimuth Karunaratne. (Photo Source: ICC) Sri Lanka has beaten South Africa twice in their den and also rolled over New Zealand in Tests this year. One of the main reasons behind their show is Dimuth Karunaratne. The southpaw is someone, who doesn’t allow pressure get to his nerves. There’s no rush of blood when Karunaratne is plying his trade. Karunaratne averages in the mid-30s, but 2019 has seen him perform exceptionally. Back in August, his 122 took the Lankans over the line in a run-chase of 268 in Galle against a potent Black Caps lineup. With a sound technique and tranquil mindset, the left-hander can wear quality bowling attacks down with sheer ease. Against India, he has scores of 141, 97, 46 and 51, though has an average of 24.61 in nine matches. But on current form, it will be a tough call to leave him out. Tom Latham Tom Latham. (Photo by Kai Schwoerer/Getty Images) Tom Latham has a Test strike-rate of 46.47 that doesn’t quite make him an attractive player in a generation of slam-bam cricket. But when it comes to productivity in the longest format, there are very few, who can match him. In a 50-match career, he already has 11 centuries and 16 half-centuries. Rather during the recent Australia tour where New Zealand failed to match the quality of the home side but Latham was the one who, at times, fought it out gamely for this team opening the innings. He also led the side in the final Test of the series as Kane Williamson was unwell. The last couple of centuries Latham mustered came against England at home and against Sri Lanka in trying conditions at the SSC in Colombo that helped the Kiwis win by an innings and 65 runs. Against India, the left-hander has scores of 58, 74 and 53 in six innings, albeit he will wish to work on his overall average of 27.87. Kane Williamson (C) Kane Williamson. (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images) There’s a reason why Kane Williamson is regarded as one of the best in New Zealand cricket if not the best. His name mostly features in the top five of the ICC rankings and it’s the Test average of 51.44 that has helped him largely. Kane is the leading century-maker for the Black Caps with 21 tons and is also speculated to become the country’s all-time highest run-getter with him aged only 29. The Tauranga-born batter didn’t have great series against Australia, but is expected to get his form back soon. His numbers versus India are a tad modest compared to his career figures. Williamson has two tons and three fifties with a top score of 131. He can use his feet to spinners effectively and can smother spin-bowling with his footwork, qualities that make him a handy pick on turning tracks. Steve Smith Australia’s Steve Smith (Photo by Nick Potts/PA Images via Getty Images) The shots Steve Smith play are mostly not found in the copybook. But the same strokes have made opponents surrender meekly in Test cricket. The kind of form he is in, he can dominate any bowling attack irrespective of the conditions. No wonder he has dominated as the ICC’s top-ranked Test batsman the most in the last few years. Back in August, Smith made his Test comeback after 16 months and then became the leading run-scorer in the Ashes. The stunning aspect was that he did it after missing three innings of the high-profile series. However, his form dipped a bit surprisingly in the home season. But he is a champion batsman and should be in the thick of the things soon. As far as India is concerned, he has hammered their attack as well. In 10 Tests against India, Smith averages a jaw-dropping 84.05, having scored 1,429 runs with seven tons and three fifties. The tons he got in Pune, Ranchi and Dharamshala in 2017 make him a must in the lineup without a shred of a doubt. Mushfiqur Rahim Mushfiqur Rahim. (Photo Source: Twitter) It goes without saying that Mushfiqur Rahim has been Bangladesh’s stalwart in the middle order for many years now. The Bogra-born has an average of 35.08 in Tests with six centuries. But since January 2017, the average has gone up to 42.94 with 1460 runs in 19 games. In fact, three of his centuries have come in that period. Last year, he scored his maiden Test double ton in Dhaka. Rahim’s numbers versus India are eye-catching though. In six Tests, he has notched 518 runs at an average of 51.80. The keeper also has a couple of centuries, the last of which came in Hyderabad in 2017 while facing the likes of Ishant Sharma and Ravi Ashwin. As a keeper, he is skilled as well, especially against the spinners. Moreover, he was the only flag-bearer for Bangladesh in the recent series in India. Ben Stokes Ben Stokes of England (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images) Ben Stokes is a player, who knows the art of soaking in severe pressure. It was on show when he played in the 2019 World Cup final at the Lord’s and also in the Headingley Test where he single-handedly snatched victory for England from the jaws of defeat. Earlier, the exuberance of youth used to get the better of him, but over the last two years, he has groomed himself into a matured character. The Christchurch-born gives his all even with his backs pushed to the walls, an attribute that makes him a special cricketer in the red-ball format. The all-rounder is a far improved player that what his numbers versus India would put forth. In 11 Tests, the 28-year-old Stokes has scored 545 runs at an average of 27.25 to go with 29 wickets. He has a knock of 128 in Rajkot under his belt back in 2016. Quinton de Kock (wk) Quinton de Kock. (Photo Source: Twitter) Unlike in limited-overs cricket, Quinton de Kock bats in the middle-order in Tests. And he hasn’t let his team down by any means. The southpaw averages 38.77 in Tests to go with five centuries and 19 half-centuries. The Gauteng-born is someone, who doesn’t quite like to bog down, and rather prefers to dictate terms to the opposition. It can be comprehended from his strike-rate of 72.21. With him as a partner, batsmen generally don’t need to step on the gas as runs flow from the other end. Overall, the 26-year-old likes facing the Indian attack with six of his international tons coming versus them. In his maiden Test innings on India soil, De Kock racked up 111 runs on a tricky surface in Visakhapatnam. Though he failed in the rest of the series last year on India tour, De Kock’s approach of going slam-bang from the word go can certainly put any opposition under pressure. Pat Cummins Pat Cummins. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images) One can ask Pat Cummins to run in all day long, and he’ll do it without a drop in intensity. His career has been marred with injuries, but he has kept coming back with authority every other time. In only 30 Tests, he has established himself as an indispensable member of the Australian bowling lineup. In the 2019 Ashes, he picked up 29 wickets, finishing as the leading wicket-taker of the series. He also has two half-centuries and three scores in the 40s, suggesting that he is no mug with the bat. He was also one of the top bowlers for the Aussies in the recently concluded home season. Coming to his figures versus India, he had a spell of 11-3-27-6 in the second innings of the Melbourne Test last year. But the spell he bowled in Ranchi in 2017, picking up four wickets on a surface which had almost nothing for the fast bowlers, was commendable. Cummins is currently ICC’s number-one ranked Test bowler. Jofra Archer Jofra Archer of England. (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images) Jofra Archer has had an eventful year after being fast-tracked into the England team. He was the Brits’ leading wicket-taker in the World Cup and then made it to the Ashes squad. After missing the first Test, he made his debut at the Lord’s. In that game, he smacked Steve Smith around the neck that led to the latter’s concussion. Archer didn’t spare Marnus Labuschagne, Smith’s substitute, either. In the Headingley Test, the Barbados-born picked up a six-wicket haul and then notched another six-fer at the Kennington Oval. He ended with 22 wickets in the series. Archer’s USP is to bowl bouncers without much effort and he directs them at the batsmen’s body. Leave alone lively pitches, Archer has the ability to ruffle feathers on decks, which don’t have much to offer to the fast bowlers. Though he hasn’t had a similar impact later in New Zealand and South Africa, Archer is very young and will soon improve his bowling. Nathan Lyon Nathan Lyon. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images) Nathan Lyon is one of the bowlers, India have found tough to face irrespective of the conditions. In 18 Tests, the 31-year-old has picked 85 wickets including as many as seven five-wicket hauls. The tweaker’s best figures of 8/50 came in Bangalore back in March 2017. Back in December 2014, his incredible spell of 34.1-5-152-7 in the second innings of the Adelaide Test took the Aussies to a win. In that game, India collapsed from 242/2 to 315 all out after Murali Vijay’s 99 and Virat Kohli’s 141 while chasing 365. The fact that Lyon is the country’s second most successful spinner after Shane Warne and the third-highest wicket-taker with 390 scalps, speaks volumes about his potential. When it comes to playing versus India, there shouldn’t be any second thought at the time of including him. Yasir Shah Yasir Shah. (Photo Source: Twitter) Yasir Shah made his international debut back in 2011. But it was only from 2014 that he became a regular member of the Pakistan Test team after Saeed Ajmal was banned from bowling. Following his ODI debut in 2011, he couldn’t cement his place in white-ball cricket. However, the leg-spinner carved a valuable position for himself in Test cricket ever since his debut in 2014 against Australia in Dubai. In 38 matches, Shah has 209 wickets with 16 five-wicket hauls. In the sub-continent, the veteran has 152 wickets in 23 games. Last year in December, Shah broke an 82-year-old, becoming the fastest bowler to 200 wickets in the format. He accomplished the feat in his 33th Test versus the Kiwis in Abu Dhabi. In the modern era, there are very few consistent bowlers like Shah doing the rounds.

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World XI that can beat Team India at home in Tests

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