Why do young foreign batsmen keep doing well when they first tour India?

[WindieWeathers]

Just thinking about the good performances of Hameed and Jennings in this current series between India and England and the truth is they aren't the first young batsmen to go to India for the first time and do well are they?


Williamson= Scored a ton in his first tour there?

Cook= Did he too score a ton there aswell when he flew in from the Caribbean?

Root= Done very well there on debut

Darren Bravo= Scored back to back tons there

Steve Smith= I remember in the midst of the thrashing Aus got there under Micky Arthur he really did stand firm in I think was the last test? And perhaps that was the start of his brilliant form since then


I'm not sure about how well other class batsmen did in their first tours of India but the questions I have is is this simply a matter of the pitches being good to bat on? And how do the stats compare in the other test nations when it pertains to young batsmen touring there for the first time?

 

[Gnske]

It's always easy to get the runs when you first visit India.

 

[sledger]

Good players do tend to do well against weak opposition. Nothing new here.

 

[WindieWeathers]

Good players do tend to do well against weak opposition. Nothing new here.

India aren't weak at home though.

 

[vcs]

Confirmation bias? What about Duckett, Stiaan van Zyl, or Dane Vilas, for example? And numerous other guys we've undoubtedly forgotten about, because they were a bit crap.

Not writing off Duckett after two games BTW, who knows he might even turn out better than Hameed or Jennings.

 

[vcs]

It's always easy to get the runs when you first visit India.

This is quality. I wish you could like posts more than once.

 

[wellAlbidarned]

good batsmen in scoring runs shocker

 

[sledger]

India aren't weak at home though.

Hmmm, I think that is pretty debatable. Like the other minnow nations, they do turn it on every now and again, but there's usually very little substance beneath their temporary good form. Teams don't fear going to India.

 

[listento_me]

They aren't just batsmen on tour, they are good batsmen so of course, on flatter pitches it's easier to score. Return tours can get harder as teams start to figure the batsman out and greater expectations play on their minds.

 

[turnstyle]

You can add Clarke and Matt Hayden to that list too.

Edit: Wait... you said young.

 

[WindieWeathers]

good batsmen in scoring runs shocker

So how does it compare with those batsmen touring other nations for the first time then? Because I remember Kohli first coming to the Caribbean and he wasn't good at all. Williamson the same...Smith and Root done well though.

 

[NZTailender]

So how does it compare with those batsmen touring other nations for the first time then? Because I remember Kohli first coming to the Caribbean and he wasn't good at all. Williamson the same...Smith and Root done well though.

11 posts, that must've been some restraint.

 

[WindieWeathers]

11 posts, that must've been some restraint.

I started this thread and talked about other conditions...Just saying what I saw of Kohli and actually Vijay aswell when they first toured the Caribbean.

 

[sledger]

Haha, transparent.

 

[centurymaker]

Indian bowling & fielding is usually mediocre, plus pitches tend to be great to bat on.. the first 2-3 days. So decent younger batsmen tend to do well!

(India has historically won at home on back of strong batting coupled with spin later in the match.)

 

[NZTailender]

I started this thread and talked about other conditions...Just saying what I saw of Kohli and actually Vijay aswell when they first toured the Caribbean.

The conditions of fortress India which is a tough place to tour, historically.

West Indies, on the other hand, have won about 4 series of their last 15 at home. It's a doddle and hardly worth mentioning as a Test for young touring batsmen.

 

[WindieWeathers]

The conditions of fortress India which is a tough place to tour, historically.

West Indies, on the other hand, have won about 4 series of their last 15 at home. It's a doddle and hardly worth mentioning as a Test for young touring batsmen.

I'm not saying the Caribbean is harder to tour than India, it clear isn't right now. BUT, I haven't seen too many young batsmen come and do well regularly as I have seen when they tour India. I'm happy to be proven wrong though if people want to produce the stats of other conditions.

 

[Burgey]

When a lot of young batsmen come into a test side they bat at number six. Very often they don't get a hit in the West Indies.

 

[cnerd123]

Confirmation bias IMO. Loads of players suck on their first tours of India.

Would be nice to dig up some stats on this though. Here's a start

 

[NZTailender]

How young is young?

Since 2000, these players, aged 25 or younger, averaged over 40 in their first series in India.
DM Bravo
MJ Clarke
AN Cook
AB de Villiers
DB Ebrahim
TJ Friend
H Hameed
KK Jennings*
TD Paine
JE Root
MN Samuels
SPD Smith
BA Stokes*
ME Trescothick
DL Vettori
L Vincent
KS Williamson