Is India’s Lower Order the Weakest Among Top Sides?

Since 2015, the Indian team has seen its most dominant phase in the Test format under the captain Virat Kohli. Winning Test series not only at home, but also in overseas conditions such as Australia, Sri Lanka, and even giving tough competitions to England, South Africa, and New Zealand.

Even after him, Rohit Sharma was able to handle the team well till the whitewash against New Zealand at home. The team’s performances have fallen to a great extent, as India, which once stood at the top of the ICC rankings in Test, has now dropped to 4th. Even after having such strong players, there was always one problem with the Indian line-up in the Test format.

And that problem has been with the lower order not being able to contribute runs to the team’s total. This issue was also seen in the first Test match against England, where India went from 430/3 to 471 all out in the first innings, and 333/4 to 364 all out in the second innings.

If we take a look at the lower order of other teams, such as Australia, England, and South Africa, their bowlers have also been able to score some runs if the top or middle order fails. However, that has not been the case for the Indian team over the last decade. Let’s take a look at the Indian lower order, compared to the other teams.

India

India’s lower order has failed to contribute well to the team’s batting lineup. As soon as the middle-order batsman lose their wickets, it becomes easier for the opposition to take all the wickets of the team and wrap up the innings as soon as possible.

Player	Matches	Innings	Runs	High Score	Average	Strike Rate	100	50
Mohammed Shami	53	71	600	56*	12.24	79.26	0	1
Umesh Yadav	46	54	385	31	12.03	54.22	0	0
Jasprit Bumrah	46	71	332	34*	6.77	44.38	0	0
Ishant Sharma	44	50	259	57	7.00	34.39	0	1
Mohammed Siraj	37	51	134	16*	4.78	36.81	0	0

India’s tailenders have never been able to perform well, just scoring occasionally. Among the tail performers who have played the most matches for the team, only Jasprit Bumrah and Umesh Yadav stand with 10+ average in the Test format. This shows the inconsistency of the team’s lower order, making it struggle a lot.

Only two of India’s lower-end batsmen have managed to score half-centuries, including Mohammed Shami and Ishant Sharma. In India’s famous Lord’s win over England, Bumrah and Shami had an 89-run stand for the 9th wicket, where Shami went on to score a half-century. This is just one time when the tail-enders were able to help the Indian team win the game with the bat in the Test format.

Australia

For Australia, the tailenders have always been performers with the bat. They are able to deliver some good knocks with both bat and ball, contributing equally to the team’s win. This has also been the reason Australia gave a competition to South Africa in the WTC final, where Starc played a fine innings.

Player	Matches	Innings	Runs	High Score	Average	Strike Rate	100	50
Mitchell Starc	84	119	1791	84	18.65	56.82	0	7
Pat Cummins	68	98	1474	64*	17.13	46.61	0	3
Nathan Lyon	100	125	1226	47	12.26	56.57	0	0
Josh Hazlewood	72	88	499	39	11.08	42.00	0	0
Scott Boland	13	15	77	20	8.55	29.96	0	0

Despite coming out to bat in the lower order, Mitchell Starc has scored 7 half-centuries, which showcases his contribution to stabilising the team’s score. Comparing the score of the Australian lower order with India’s lower order, the difference seems clear, as only Scott Boland, who has played 13 matches, holds single digits when it comes to average.

During the 2023 Ashes being hosted by England, Australia’s lower order helped the team to get a two-wicket win. Coming out to bat after the team stood at 227/8, Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon had a 55-run stand to lead the team to the win. Cummins scored 44 runs while Lyon held the other end and scored 16.

England

For England also, we saw in the first Test match against India, where the lower-order batsmen were able to give the needed contribution. It was also the part of the game which changed it to England’s favour, as the tail-enders took India’s double-digit lead to single digits.

Player	Matches	Innings	Runs	High Score	Average	Strike Rate	100	50
Chris Woakes	54	88	1933	137*	26.12	53.60	1	7
Stuart Broad	93	140	1469	62	13.11	63.45	0	3
Mark Wood	37	62	807	52	15.82	70.72	0	1
Adil Rashid	19	33	540	61	19.28	42.51	0	2
James Anderson	89	130	404	20	6.31	38.25	0	0

England’s tailenders have surely been a trouble for the opposition, as they are able to stabilize the team’s score to a good extent. Chris Woakes, despite coming down the order, holds an average of 26.12, and Adil Rashid also holds an impressive average of 19.28, despite playing fewer matches for the team.

During the Test match between England and the West Indies at Manchester, Stuart Broad, being a bowler, etched his name in the list of fastest half-centuries in the Test format. He scored 62 runs off just 45 balls against the Windies, with 9 fours and one six. On the other hand, in the 2018 series against India, Chris Woakes scored 137 not out and even contributed with the ball.

New Zealand

New Zealand’s lower order has also dominated in the Test format, not only at home but also in the away series. Players like Tim Southee and Trent Boult have been known for playing some of the vital knocks towards the end, which surely created a big difference for the Kiwis.

Player	Matches	Innings	Runs	High Score	Average	Strike Rate	100	50
Tim Southee	69	94	1236	73	13.88	80.94	0	4
Neil Wagner	48	61	675	66*	15.69	58.18	0	1
Matt Henry	30	42	649	72	18.02	77.81	0	4
Trent Boult	49	55	453	38	15.62	66.91	0	0
Kyle Jamieson	19	26	432	51*	19.63	55.59	0	1

The difference between India’s lower order and New Zealand’s lower order can be spotted quickly. The bowler to have the highest average in India’s line-up is even having an average lower than Tim Southee, who has scored 4 half-centuries for the Kiwis at a strike rate of 80.94. Along with that, the average runs off all the bowlers of New Zealand is consistent, allowing them to add runs to the team’s total when needed the most.

During the latest series between India and New Zealand, which was played in India, the Kiwis showcased some resilience with their lower order, too. Along with Rachin Ravindra, Tim Southee created a 137-run stand, which helped the team to reach a good total. It should be noted that Southee scored 65 runs in this innings, with 5 fours and 4 sixes at a strike rate of 89.04.

South Africa

The same also goes for South Africa, as their lower order did play a crucial role with bat and ball in their World Test Championship final win over Australia. Definitely not all, but some of their tailenders have the capability to score well for the team, providing more depth to their batting line-up.

Player	Matches	Innings	Runs	High Score	Average	Strike Rate	100	50
Keshav Maharaj	58	89	1220	84	14.87	60.78	0	5
Vernon Philander	36	59	1082	73	22.08	44.87	0	4
Marco Jansen	18	28	506	84*	22.00	50.14	0	3
Lungi Ngidi	20	31	97	19	4.85	42.17	0	0
Anrich Nortje	19	33	187	40	7.79	30.25	0	0

Over the years, South Africa has seen players such as Vernon Philander, Marco Jansen, and various others, who have contributed well to the team’s total despite being bowlers. In the India tour of South Africa 1st Test, Marco Jansen scored 84 runs and remained not out, which surely did play a crucial role in South Africa’s win by an innings.

Keshav Maharaj has surely been the top player for South Africa’s tailenders with the bat, having scored 5 half-centuries for the team. In the England vs South Africa Test match, after the Proteas collapsed in the first innings, their second innings came in as a redemption. England was able to dismiss the top-order, but then came Keshav Maharaj, who scored 71 runs and stayed on the crease for a long time.

Compared to India’s lower-order batsmen, the other teams, such as Australia, England, New Zealand, and South Africa, have shown better performances with their tailenders. For India, if the top order fails to perform, they can rely on the middle order, but if the middle order also fails to score, the innings ends with a far lower score than expected.