Venue may provide respite for India

After the ascent to the top of the Test table and the subsequent World Cup win, an injury-hit India struggled on their tour of England and were humbled 4-0. In the next major away series, India were back to full strength and were the favourites to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against an inconsistent Australia. Three Tests into the series, India are on the verge of their second whitewash in less than six months.

India have lost all Tests in a series (minimum four-match series) on only three occasions prior to the disastrous England tour - in 1959 (England), 1962 (West Indies) and 1967 (Australia). While the inexperienced bowling attack was expected to face problems, the much hyped batting line-up has failed to average even 30 in their last seven away Tests.

In the 1959 series in England when India suffered their first ever whitewash, they averaged under 20 runs per wicket while England averaged 40.60. The average difference (difference between the batting averages of the opposition and India) was 20.97. There was a considerable difference in the number of wickets taken by India (58) and England (98). The stats in the West Indies series in 1962 were also similar with an average difference of 18.85 and wickets difference of 40. India were far more competitive in the 1967-68 Australian tour where they lost 4-0. The average difference was just 8.65 and India picked up 70 wickets to Australia's 80.

However, in their 4-0 loss in England in 2011, the gulf in batting and bowling stats is much wider. England averaged nearly 60 while India struggled with the bat, averaging just 25.55 (average difference of 34.21). In the bowling department, too, India, who were missing Zaheer Khan, managed just 47 wickets to England's 80. In the Australia series, India's batting average has plummeted to 22.90 while Australia's corresponding number is 47.08. Perhaps the only consolation for India is that they have managed to bowl the opposition out in three out of four innings, conceding over 400 on only one occasion.

* Series yet to be completed

Despite their woeful performance in the series so far, India will be glad that the final Test is being played at a venue where they have a fairly good record. In fact, most visiting teams have been quite successful in Adelaide as compared to the other venues. Australia have won just one of their last four matches in Adelaide and lost the previous one played against England by an innings.

The win-loss ratio for visiting teams is highest in Adelaide (0.28) and India are one of only two teams to win a match at the venue since 2000. The average difference in Adelaide is 10.29 and visiting batsmen have scored 13 centuries to the 14 scored by Australian batsmen. In contrast, the average differences at other venues are much higher with Brisbane being the highest (26.23). While Perth is the only other venue where visiting batsmen have scored almost as many hundreds as the home batsmen, Brisbane remains a venue where the hosts have completely dominated on the hundreds front too, scoring 21 centuries to the visitors' six.

Although the Australians lead 3-0, they will be far from satisfied with the form of the batting line-up. But for the second Test in Sydney and David Warner's extraordinary 180 in Perth, the batting has failed to demonstrate consistency. However, many of the home batsmen will look forward to playing in Adelaide. Ricky Ponting has scored the most runs at the venue (1442) with five centuries and scored centuries in his last two matches against India in Adelaide. Michael Clarke and Michael Hussey have averages over 80 in Adelaide and have performed much better there than at other home venues. The out-of form Brad Haddin will look to regain his lost touch at a venue where he has made his highest Test score while averaging 104.33.

Sachin Tendulkar, who is on his fifth Australian tour, has been the only Indian batsman to demonstrate any consistency in this series. He has got off to starts but has failed to convert a single knock into a big score. Tendulkar, however, has a better record overall at other Australian venues (average 61.79) as compared to Adelaide (36.00). Rahul Dravid, who has had his defence breached on five occasions in six innings, has looked a pale shadow of the player who top scored in the disastrous England series. He will, however, have fond memories of Adelaide, where he scored 233 and 72 in Test in 2003 setting up India's successful run-chase.

VVS Laxman, so often Australia's tormentor, has looked completely out of sorts in this series scoring just 102 runs in six innings. Laxman's average of 17.00 so far is his lowest in a series of three matches or more. His solitary century in Adelaide came in 2003 when he scored 148 and put on 303 with Dravid to lead India's superb response to Australia's massive 556.

Virender Sehwag also has a much better record in Adelaide as compared to his record in other venues in Australia. He scored a century in his previous Test at the venue and will need to use that as an inspiration to find some form at the end of an ordinary series.

Adelaide has generally been a good batting venue and will be a boost to the beleaguered Indian team hoping to avoid a second consecutive away whitewash. Despite its tendency to favour batsmen, the venue has been highly result-oriented with only two draws in the last 11 Tests.

In the first two innings, batting has been fairly simple with teams averaging 45.68 and 50.00. However, as the matches have gone on, the averages drop considerably to 24.68 and 30.30 in the third and fourth innings. Pace bowlers, who have struggled in the first two innings, are much more successful in the third and fourth innings where they average 23.34 and 25.22. Ben Hilfenhaus, the highest wicket-taker in the series with 23 wickets, will look to add to his wicket tally at a venue where he is playing his first Test. Spinners also have had a lot more to cheer about in the latter stages of matches as compared to the first and second innings.