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IND vs AUS: Batting positively in the first innings of matches has been a persistent problem for the Indian cricket team throughout the 2024-25 Test season. Having an impressive set of players on the team, the team has not been able to put up competitive totals to prepare matches or defend small ones. Hence, India has been hugely wronged in the last couple of Test matches played, and the statistics of the season only make way for the worse batting of the season.
India’s First-Innings Blues: No 400+ Scores in 2024-25
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The most striking statistic of the 2024-25 season is that India has not even crossed 400 in the first innings of any Test match. It is a worrying trend for a team that was known to dominate the longer version of the game. The lack of ability to post big totals in the first innings has put additional pressure on the bowlers and has made it difficult for the team to control the momentum of matches.
A Historic Low: India’s 185 in Sydney
India’s batting woes were starkly highlighted on Day 1 of the fifth Test in Sydney, where they were bowled out for just 185 runs. This tally marked not just a disappointing display but also one of the lowest aggregates any team could post in Sydney since 2001. It was actually lower only than the Australia themselves, all out for a paltry 127 against Pakistan in 2010. This meant India’s batting display was part of a larger narrative of poor first-innings scores that had all started to make many question their technique and application at the bat.
Consistent Failures: India Among the Worst in 2024-25
India has had a pretty lackluster performance in the first innings of the 2024-25 Test season, having been bowled out for 185 or less on eight occasions. This statistic puts India at the top of a list of teams that have not scored more than 185 in a calendar year. Along with India, five other teams have also been all out for scores under 185 at least eight times in a Test season. This glaring statistic underscores the collective batting failure that India has faced in the season.
India’s Best First-Innings Score in 2024-25: 376 Against Bangladesh
Overall, the outfit has performed poorly except for a glimmer of hope that India’s first innings might merit against Bangladesh in Chennai. They managed to post 376 runs. This was India’s best total in the first innings of the 2024-25 season.
However, there have been no substantial innings over 400 runs that might help India gain an upper hand and set up competitive totals. Interestingly, the West Indies were only the other team besides India that never crossed the 400-run line in the first innings of the Test season in their last iteration of 2000-01.
Record Low: India’s Average First-Innings Batting
The most dire statistic for this Indian team through the season, though, would be their batting average in the first innings. India’s average of 18.74 runs per wicket in the first innings of Test matches in 2024-25 is the lowest in modern Test cricket, with a minimum of five matches played in the season. It reflects a clear pattern of early collapses and inconsistent partnerships.
The other area that reflects the pathetic overall average of 22.92 runs per wicket both in the first and second innings of The worst among the teams that played at least ten Points to how poor the batting has been when India batted first.
Lack of First Innings Centuries from the Top Order
India has always faced a lack of first-innings centuries by its top-order batsmen. During the entire 2024-25 season, Indian players could manage only two centuries in the first innings. Ravichandran Ashwin scored a century in Chennai against Bangladesh, and Nitish Kumar Reddy scored a century in India’s first innings while playing in Melbourne against Australia.
Both came from players batting lower down the order—Ashwin at number eight and Reddy at number eight. This means that none of India’s top seven batsmen managed to score a first-innings century in any of the Test matches in 2024-25, which is a significant concern for a team hoping to set big targets or build substantial leads.
Virat Kohli’s First-Innings Struggles
Virat Kohli, one of India’s most successful and influential players, has been particularly underperforming in the first innings this season. Kohli’s batting average in the first innings of 2024-25 is a meager 12.6, the lowest among any batsman in India’s top seven. This alarming drop in form has put added pressure on the rest of the batting line-up, especially as Kohli is expected to anchor innings and provide stability. His inability to score big runs in the first innings has been a major reason for India’s consistently low scores.
Bumrah’s All-Round Contribution in IND vs AUS
It is true that Jasprit Bumrah has stood tall as India’s batting performer in the 2024-25 season; however, he has also contributed substantially with the bat. For example, his contribution of 22 runs for batting is the highest score by any Indian captain in this series, emphasizing the batting frailty in the team.
Bumrah’s 22 runs, while handy, also brings into sharp focus just how low the batting depth has sunk. He is the second-lowest Indian captain to score at least seven times in a Test series, further highlighting the lack of serious contributions from the top order.
Bumrah’s Success Against Openers
Despite India’s woes with their batting line-up, Jasprit Bumrah has performed extremely well on the field of play, particularly when bowling to Australia’s openers. He dismissed openers a total of 11 times during this IND vs AUS series which equals the best tally for a bowler since 2002, joining the hallowed ranks of the likes of Shane Warne (2005 Ashes) and Stuart Broad (2019 Ashes).
One of the very few positives that India has taken from this series is Bumrah’s ability to strike early, which could give hope that the team could get back into the match if they can knock out the middle order of the Australians cheaply.
The Challenge Ahead for India
The statistics of the 2024-25 Test season look pretty scary for India, particularly in the context of their batting in the first innings. An average of under 20 runs per wicket in the first innings means that the Indian team needs to work on its batting frailties at the earliest. There has been a lack of centuries from top-order batsmen, and the performances of star players like Virat Kohli have not been up to their standards.
The ability of the team to post competitive totals, especially in the first innings, will be key to their success in future Tests. While Bumrah’s leadership and bowling excellence provide hope, India’s batting line-up must show significant improvement if they are to compete at the highest level and secure victories in the upcoming matches.
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