India's ODI record, and West Indies' ODI rut

The Indian cricketers have hardly covered themselves with glory during the ongoing tri-series in Zimbabwe, losing to the home team twice in a row for the first time. What they have been doing, though, is keeping the counter going on the number of ODI matches played. When they took on Sri Lanka earlier in the week, it was their 742nd one-day international, which might not mean much to most, except that it put them above Australia as the team to have played the most ODIs. It's a record that sits rather well on them, considering the popularity of the format in the country and the BCCI's proclivity for the format.

Much of India's catching up has happened in the last 10 years, and especially in the period between 2000 and 2002, when they played 20 more matches than Australia: till 1999, Australia and Pakistan had played 443 matches each, the most by any team. Between 2000 and 2002, too, Pakistan stayed on top, playing 100 games, while South Africa joined them on the same number. Pakistan's decline started from 2005: in five-and-a-half years since then, they've only played 112 games, which is more than 50 fewer than the number played by Australia and India.

The table below lists the ODIs played by each team and their win-loss ratios across various periods.

A few numbers that stand out:

• India's win-loss ratio has gradually improved over the years, and they've won far more than they've lost in the last five years. Their year-wise stats show that 2008 was an exceptional year, when they won 19 games and lost only eight. Also, the period between 2000 and 2002 was when they caught up with Australia; in the last five years, both teams have played almost the same number of matches.

Windies in a rut
"Losing is becoming a habit and it's a bit difficult to get out of." These were Chris Gayle's words after yet another West Indies defeat in the home ODI series against South Africa. West Indies' decline over the last 15 years has manifested itself in various ways, but none has been more depressing than how their home record has fallen away. There used to be a time when a tour to the West Indies used to be the toughest assignment, but that was long ago. Over the last 10 years, West Indies' ODI numbers have dropped dramatically: even in the 1990s, their win-loss ratio at home against the top teams was an impressive 1.82, with 31 wins and 17 losses; since 2000, though, they've won only 25 and lost almost twice as many. And since the beginning of 2007, there have been only six wins to 19 losses.

The table below shows that both the batting and the bowling have slipped significantly since their heyday. In the 1980s West Indies were almost unbeatable at home, and their batting average was almost twice their bowling average. In the 28 matches they played in that decade, they scored 10 centuries; in 27 matches they've played since 2007, they've managed only one, which is a damning indictment of their batting line-up.

Similarly, their bowling has slipped considerably, with the average going up to almost 40 runs per wicket since 2007.

A look at the stats of their top batsmen shows none of them have been at the top of their games. Gayle's strike rate is impressive, but he averages less than 35, which isn't what you'd expect from a top-class opener. Ramnaresh Sarwan's average is only slightly higher, while both he and Shivnarine Chanderpaul - the only batsman averaging more than 40 - have a strike rate of less than 75.

It's a similar story for their bowlers, with most of the regulars averaging around 35 or more, at more than five runs per over. Going by recent evidence, it doesn't seem as if West Indies will get out of this rut anytime soon.