Why India's three-peat dream down under hinges on their No. 3 batter
There was a time and place in what feels now like ancient history when a solid, technically sound No.3 batter in Tests was considered the divine figure in a team. Yet, with the changing times and the advent of 'Bazball', the importance of a stable and attritional one-drop batter has drastically dwindled. Ask Cheteshwar Pujara.
Perhaps, it is also why several experts and a major section of fans mention the two openers, Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal then skip to the No.4 in Virat Kohli, followed by wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant as India's key batters for the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
The fact that even an absent Mohammed Shami's name comes up more than India's No.3 during the buildup to the marquee series feels misinformed and often misleading.
Why? Well, one must deep dive into India's Test tours of Australia since the turn of the century and find out where the series or even individual games were won or lost. Simply put, Australia is one place where India's victories and defeats have hinged primarily on one thing and one thing only - the performance of their No.3 batter.
The how, when, and maybe even why of it will be answered in the upcoming sections as we look back on the startlingly common trends in India's Test tours down under this century and project their chances of three-peating in Australia.
India's best Test results in Australia - 2003-04, 2018-19 & 2020-21
India's tours of Australia until the 2000s were littered with heavy defeats, barring the odd aberrations like the back-to-back drawn affairs in 1980-81 and 1985-86. Yet, Indian fans had to wait until the turn of the 21st century to enjoy sustained success on Australian shores.
Rahul Dravid's 2003-04 BGT heroics
The first such came in their 2003-04 visit when a strong Indian batting line-up met fire with fire to thwart the vaunted Aussie bowling attack. While almost every Indian batter had their moments, the four-Test series will always be remembered for Rahul Dravid's consistent heroics at No.3.
As important as run-scoring is even in Tests, the value of balls consumed, which ultimately tires the bowlers, makes the Kookaburra older is the primary job of a No.3 batter in Australia. Dravid did just that for Team India in their 1-1 drawn series in 2003-04.
Here are some key comparative numbers highlighting his impact on the series result:
A look at Dravid's numbers indicates his incredible dominance in terms of runs and averages at No.3. Yet, the most important number is the one to the far right - balls faced per dismissal.
The champion batter averaged almost 241 balls (best in the series) between dismissals - evidence of him forcing the Aussie pacers to bowl multiple spells and tiring them out in a war of attrition. This played a massive role in the other Indian batters' success and the side piling on big totals.
While Australia's No.3 Ricky Ponting almost matched Dravid pound for pound, India still salvaged a 1-1 draw against arguably the most dominant side in cricket history, thanks to the latter's relentless pursuit to occupy the crease at one drop.
Cheteshwar Pujara's best Rahul Dravid impression in 2018-19 and 2020-21
Fast-forward to 15 years from Dravid's defiance and we had his best impersonation with Cheteshwar Pujara in the 2018-19 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Much like his predecessor at No.3, Pujara batted, batted, and batted some more in one of the most tenacious batting displays in Test history.
A similar statistical breakdown of Pujara's numbers will demonstrate how his omnipresence at the crease led to India's dominance in the series.
Pujara averaged over 100 balls more at the crease per dismissal than even the second-best on the list - teammate Rishabh Pant. The 36-year-old also averaged facing over 100 balls more per dismissal than Australia's two best batters in the series.
The result? A dominant 2-1 series win for India that in all likelihood would have been 3-1 had the final Test at Sydney not been marred by rain.
Pujara, however, wasn't done yet as he produced another stellar effort in the subsequent Australian Test tour in 2020-21.
The theme of this feature - the significance of India's No.3 batter and his ability to bat time couldn't be better justified than the 2020/21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
The above table indicates that other batters outdid India's No.3 Pujara in terms of runs and averages. Yet Pujara finished with the most balls faced per dismissal—an underrated factor in this hunger for runs-era.
It led to India barely sniffing out a 2-1 series win with several lower middle-order and lower-order batters turning heroes, capitalizing on Pujara's stone-wall defiance.
India's worst Test results in Australia - 1999-2000, 2011-12 & 2014-15
Now, on the other side of the ledger, how India's No.3 batter fared in Australia when the series results were underwhelming in 1999-00, 2011-12, and 2014-15 tours.
The Asian giants suffered 0-3, 0-4, and 0-2 losses in those three tours, and here is a statistical breakdown of India's No.3 batters' production in them.
While VVS Laxman and Rohit Sharma batted at No.3 in a match in the 1999-00 and 2014-15 Border-Gavaskar Trophies, Dravid and Pujara still owned the spot for most of those series.
Unfortunately, the duo's numbers from the above table make for sorry reading - batting average or average balls faced per dismissal. As a result, India suffered heavy series defeats in all three tours without winning a single encounter.
The middling 2007-08 BGT
The only difference between India's 2007-08 and the 2020-21 tours down under was the capitalization of key moments or lack thereof in the former. While 2020-21 ended with India rejoicing in a close 2-1 win, 2007/08 saw them ahead in each of the final three Tests only to finish on the losing side by a 1-2 margin.
Hence, India's No.3 batter for the series, Rahul Dravid finished with numbers similar to Pujara's in 2020-21 - not other-worldly yet respectable.
Despite mediocre overall numbers, Dravid led India with a masterful 93 in the first innings of their lone win at Perth in the 2007-08 series.
Thus, the above tables emphasize the unglorified yet invaluable significance of India's No.3 batter for success or failure in the Tests in Australia.
2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy - Shubman Gill or bust for Team India?
Cut to the present and Team India might have trouble on their hands as it pertains to the No.3 batter for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. Shubman Gill - a name rarely mentioned among the key batters for the series has been on and off as India's No.3 over the past year.
Yet, the 25-year-old seemed to have finally hit his groove at the position in the home Tests this year. Gill, however, fractured his left thumb during training, forcing him to miss the opening Test of the series.
With skipper Rohit Sharma also out of the first Test, India could be in a conundrum to find an ideal replacement for Gill at No.3 and someone who could play the Dravid/Pujara role of the past to perfection.
We have just seen the importance of India having a No.3 that can score runs and play time to achieve ultimate success in Australia. Gill averages almost 52 in his three Tests down under and a healthy 42.09 at No.3 in the red-ball format.
His absence could almost spell doom for Team India if history repeats itself and there is uncertainty around a reliable and experienced No.3. Should India experiment with a technically sound opener like Abhimanyu Easwaran or try a more experienced option of KL Rahul in the opening Test?
The duo struggled in the warm-up game against Australia A but may be the best remaining options among batters, considering Virat Kohli's poor Test record at No.3, with relatively solid technique and temperament to withstand the new ball.
Either way, Team India would desperately need Gill to return for the second Test and perform the dual role of scoring runs and playing innumerable deliveries. Else, India's dream of a Test series hat-trick down under could soon turn into a nightmare.