It’s been long since Indian team has been termed as “Home track bullies” by the cricket experts simply because of their dismal performances in the overseas tours against some of the best cricket teams around. On the other side, even the Indian batsman and bowlers have justified the same notion in the wake of some unforgettable moments outside the Indian Territory and this has been the main reason for their poor test record away from home.
Still there are some of the batsmen who have kept on going with their brilliant run in the batting department even in the oddest of the conditions and that is the reason India has improved on their poor record in the overseas matches. Whilst we said that, lest take a look at the top 5 highest run scorers for Indian in the overseas tests.
#1 Sachin Tendulkar
Whenever there would be a discussion about the best batsman in the cricket history, Sachin tendulkar would always be a part of the elite list and this is the kind of reputation, this cricket legend has carried forward across his whole cricket career. Quite often its been quoted that “ If cricket is a religion in India, Sachin is the god “.For more than two decades, this Prolific batsman has carried the responsibility of being the spearhead of the Indian batting and his big list of performances on the International circuit speaks best about his success.
On the other hand, when we talk about his performance on foreign territories whilst playing for the Indian team, he has been equally destructive with a career record 8705 runs in 106 matches he has played outside India. He has always came out to be a threat for the opposition bowlers irrespective of the pitch and the circumstances he is playing in and that is something which makes him a phenomenal player of his era. Well that is not it about this magnificent cricketer as he went to become the first man on the planet to touch the “ 100 centuries in International cricket” mark during his career and also became the player with the most runs in both test and One day matches. It was once been said by the cricket’s all time great Sir Don Bradman that “ I find my reflection whilst seeing sachin playing those shots on the cricket field”. Well, words aren’t enough to describe his greatness!
ALSO CHECK : Sachin Tendulkar Records – The First Global Cricket Superstar
#2 Rahul Dravid
Rahul dravid is another one of the best ever test cricketers to have played for the Indian team in the recent times. He was famously been known as “ The wall” and that was mainly due to his capabilities of standing tall in front of even the most fiercest bowlers across the globe in even the most adverse conditions during a match. Dravid was more like a cool and calm customer whilst playing all those cricket shots with great effectiveness and technique. Perhaps, he did score his debut ton against the fearsome south African pace attack in cape town which largely speaks about his batting capabilities in foreign conditions.
Quite interestingly, he has scored 21 centuries out of his total 36 centuries on foreign soil and amassed 7667 runs in the 93 matches he played outside India. Moreover, he was always the standout performer against most of the key opponent’s overseas amongst all the other players of India and his records against teams like Australia, England and South Africa in their own backyard is proof enough of his mastery on adverse conditions.
ALSO CHECK :Rahul Dravid – The Timeless Legend
#3 Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Gavaskar was an epitome of grit, patience and wholesome batting skills and that was the reason he was been quoted as one of the legendary batsman in the Indian cricket history. From scoring 774 runs in his debut series against wets Indies till scoring the 96 runs in his final match in Bengaluru, Sunil gavaskar was all about patience and guts at its very best. Moreover, he has played in an era when the fast bowling was at its peak and even the most skillful batsman around the world were threatened by the fearsome pace of bowlers like Malcolm Marshall, Joel garner, Jeff Thomson and so on.
He was that one man who was been highly praised for his batting technique and fearless attitude on the cricket field and if we look at his test record overseas, he has scored an impressive 5055 runs in the 60 matches he played outside the country. He even wrote his autobiography named “ Sunny days” where he has mentioned that his hunger for runs was ever growing and he always approached his batting with an attitude of scoring more and more on a daily basis for his team in the process. This is something which has made him improve his cricket eventually and dominate even the most lethal bowlers of his era.
ALSO CHECK : Sunil Gavaskar – The Legend of Cricket
#4 VVS Laxman
If we have to talk about one player who has made batting looked easier than the others, it has to be VVS Laxman. Laxman was one of the stalwarts of the Indian cricket team in the late 90s who has put his guard on the pitch like a rock and made his team scoring those crucial victories against some of the hardest opponents in his career. Even as per the experts, it’s been said that if we have to measure the greatness of a player in perspective to his performance against the best team of his era, then Laxman stands right at the top in the backdrop of his glorious record against the Cricket Superpower Australian team.
If we take look at his overseas record, he has scored 5014 runs in 70 matches he has played outside India during his career and most of his memorable knocks have come against the Australian side at their own backyard. All along his career, Laxman has played even the most fearsome bowlers with great patience and his innings of 281 runs against the Australian side in Kolkata test has been quoted as one of the best innings ever played in cricket history.
ALSO CHECK : VVS Laxman- The Role Model Indian Cricketers Strive to Be
#5 Sourav Ganguly
Sourav Ganguly would always be remembered for his aggressive approach whether it’s about his batting or his attitude whilst captaining the Indian side in the recent years. Moreover, even though he didn’t get those many chances to prove his worth in the test team due to his batting lower down the order, he has often took up the chances with both hands when and wherever getting the opportunity.
Looking at his test record overseas, Ganguly has scored 4032 runs in 63 matches and one of his most memorable innings came against the Aussie team at Perth during the 2001 tour when he went on to play a fearless innings of 144 runs on a pitch which was spitting fire for the entire batsman around.
ALSO CHECK :How Sourav Ganguly’s Captaincy changed the face of Indian Cricket Team