Wasim Jaffer not impressed with India's overseas showing in Test cricket

India suffered a 2-0 drubbing in the last Test series in New Zealand.

Team India were outplayed in New Zealand last month | Getty

Former opener Wasim Jaffer has expressed concern over India’s overseas Test record, saying if Virat Kohli and company are to be regarded as the numero uno Test side then they need to beat top teams in their own backyards.

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Notably, Team India are the No. 1 Test side in ICC rankings for the last four years but they have failed to dominate in away conditions.

While India won their maiden Test series (2-1) on Australia soil in 2018-19, they faced defeats in their last tour of New Zealand (2-0 in 2020), England (4-1 in 2018) and South Africa (2-1 in 2018).

“I myself was very disappointed by the NZ tour. India had won the T20Is so well 5-0 but then they lost ODIs and Tests one-sided,” Jaffer was quoted as saying by India Today.

“The team is so strong in each department and that is why I was more disappointed.

“We shouldn’t be beaten like this when you are the No. 1 in the world and you plan to stay on the top and dominate like AUS and WI. But those teams are so known only because they dominated outside of home,” he added.

Jaffer, who has represented the country in 31 Tests, believes the current Indian team have the potential to become as dominant as the great West Indies and Australian sides of the past.

“India too has these capabilities but we are not being able to do that the way we should. We won a historic series in AUS but none in SA, ENG and NZ,” he said.

“A team is judged as great only if we dominate in these places. Everyone knows that beating India in India is very difficult - be it any team. But only if we win Test series in these places, we would be convinced that this really is the world No.1 team.”

Despite losing in New Zealand last month, Team India are still leading the World Test Championship points table having whitewashed West Indies (2-0; away), South Africa (3-0; home) and Bangladesh (2-0; home) last year.

India’s next big Test assignment is the tour of Australia in December 2020.

 
 

By Salman Anjum - 28 Mar, 2020

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