Overseas Specialists: 10 batsmen who performed better overseas in Test cricket

Anand
England v India: Specsavers 3rd Test - Day Three
Ajinkya Rahane has a decent overseas record

(4) Ajinkya Rahane (India)

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Ajinkya Rahane is India's leading overseas batsman of the current era

Home- Matches: 20, Runs: 1019, Average: 32.87, Highest: 188, 100/50: 3/3.

Away- Matches: 28, Runs: 2032, Average: 48.38, Highest: 147, 100/50: 6/10.

Average Difference: 15.51

Ajinkya Rahane has the potential to be one of India's greatest ever batsman. He has a compact defensive technique and is able to counter-attack at will. The only thing holding Rahane back is his inability to do well in home conditions. He is only 30 and is likely to overcome this problem.

That Rahane has managed to survive so long despite his shoddy record at home speaks volume about how well he does away from it. In an era where pitches are getting more extreme, Rahane has built a career exclusively on his overseas exploits.

Rahane is also one of the best tacticians going around in world cricket, he has captained India in 2 tests winning both of them, including the all-important series decider against Australia at Dharamshala in 2017

Rahane has played 20 Tests at home and scored 1019 runs at a paltry average of 32.87. Two of those hundreds came in the same test against South Africa at Delhi. In the 8 series that Rahane has played at home, he has averaged above 40 on only 3 occasions. On the other hand, Rahane has thrived in conditions where the ball comes to his bat.

New Zealand and Australia are places where careers of Indian batsmen finish. Rahane averages 54 and 57 in the two countries respectively. His 147 at the MCG is one of the best knocks played by an overseas batsman in Australian conditions.

Rahane has done well in South Africa as well, he has scored 266 runs at an average of 53 against the likes of Morkel, Philander, Steyn, and Rabada. Rahane averages an astronomical 143 in West Indies and a respectable 45 in Sri Lanka. He scored a 98 in his only innings in Bangladesh.

The only place Rahane has struggled overseas in England where he averages a mere 30. But Rahane was instrumental in shaping both of India's recent test victories in England: Lord's (2014) and Trent Bridge (2018).

His 103 at Lord's is one of the best knocks by an Indian batsman in overseas conditions. Overall, Rahane has scored 2032 runs at an average of 48 in overseas conditions, his average is the highest among active Indian batsmen.

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Edited by Kumud Ranjan
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