3 Indian batsmen whose last 2 years saw them averaging 20+ points lower than their career average
Batting average is a very important measure of a player's consistent. It reveals the ability of a batsman to thrive against varied bowling attacks and in diverse playing conditions.
The most famous number that cricketing aficionados quote in this regard, and they do so with reverence, is the number 99.94. That is the batting average of the ultimate batting divinity that the sport has ever seen - Sir Don Bradman.
Over the years, India has produced several great batsmen in the Test arena. These men have enthralled and captivated fans across the world with their riveting performances.
Sunil Gavaskar was the first batting superstar that the country produced. Facing up to the fearsome pace quartet of the West Indies, Gavaskar was the first batsman to instill a sense of self-belief into the batting lineup.
The dawn of the 1990s saw the beginning of the ‘Sachin Tendulkar era'. In a career spanning almost a quarter of a century, Tendulkar broke every conceivable batting record that the game had to offer, and was venerated as the 'God of Cricket'.
The age of Tendulkar also saw the rise of other superstars like Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Virender Sehwag and Sourav Ganguly.
Today, it is the age of Virat Kohli. Kohli has emerged as the batting emperor of this generation, thwarting bowling attacks across the world with the splendor of a monarch. He is seen as the heir apparent to the iconic Tendulkar.
That said, many batting stars suffer a dip in form as their career draws to a close. Age, loss of flexibility and dwindling concentration cause their returns to start diminishing, which in turn leads to a drop in their average.
In this article, we look at three Indian batting greats whose average dipped by more than 20 points in the last two years of their career.
#3 Dilip Vengsarkar
Dilip Vengsarkar was the mainstay of the Indian middle order in the 1980s and the early 1990s. In a career spanning 116 Test matches, Vengsarkar scored 6868 runs at an average of 42.13, including 17 hundreds and 35 fifties.
Vengsarkar is also the only visiting batsman to score three Test centuries at the iconic Lord’s cricket ground.
However, in the final two years of his career, Vengsarkar struggled to get going. His average was just 21.76 in his last two years in Test cricket, less than half his previous career average of 44.51. Also, Vengsarkar didn't score a single century in this period.
In fact, in his last four innings, Vengsarkar had scores of 13,4,1 and 4. He struggled against the pace and bounce on the fast Australian pitches against the likes of Craig McDermott and Merv Hughes.
Vengsarkar's downfall led to him announcing his retirement from Test cricket after the disastrous tour of Australia, at the age of 36.
RECORD BEFORE FINAL TWO YEARS: Innings - 168; Runs - 6498; Average - 44.51
FINAL TWO YEARS RECORD: Innings - 17; Runs - 370; Average - 21.76
Average dip: 22.74
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