India Look To Revive Good Memories At The Oval

The Oval is the venue where the final Test of the English summer is played. In the current series between England and India, England hold the upper hand, having won convincingly in Southampton and Old Trafford. India, on the other hand, have lost all momentum after their victory at Lord's. If they have to salvage something in this series, then they need to win at The Oval to turn the corner in performances outside of the subcontinent.

Traditionally, The Oval is considered a flat deck even though it gives ample assistance to spinners. India's record at this venue is a bit of a mixed game. This was here that they won their first Test in England in 1971, a victory that sealed their first series win in the country. But victory has eluded them since. At the start of the 21st century, India have played three Tests and drawn two. This table gives the W/L ratio of the teams at The Oval.


India have a better W/L ratio here than the current No.1 ranked team in Tests. South Africa, who have won only one Test in 14 attempts, achieved victory only in 2012, their first at this venue since they started playing at The Oval 105 years ago. Among all visiting teams, Pakistan have the best W/L ratio, having not lost at this venue since 1967*.

*There is a dispute regarding the result of the 2006 match. Pakistan have called for the match to be drawn while the match has been awarded to England due to Pakistan's refusal to play.

Spin vs pace at The Oval

This table showcases the amount of wickets taken by spin and pace. The first table is from the 2000-2007 period while the second is between 2008 until August 2014.



If you compare the performance in both periods, then the first period is dominated by pace in all aspects. In the second period, although pace has taken more wickets, the spinners have chipped regularly thus giving them a better average. Shane Warne and Graeme Swann topped the bowling charts in the first and second time periods respectively. However, the pacers have held their own at this venue, suggesting that the wicket is a bit of a mixed bag. There will be assistance for both spinners and pacers and team composition will play a huge role for both teams.

Batters paradise



If one has to compare the batting average of The Oval with its northern neighbour, Lord's, it is significantly higher. From 2008 to 2014, the average of batsmen is over 80, the most for an England venue. Batsmen have always feasted at this venue. Kevin Pietersen and Alastair Cook have two hundreds at this venue, Ian Bell has a highest score of 235 while Hashim Amla scored South Africa's first individual triple-hundred at this venue. Rahul Dravid has an average of 110.75 in four Tests at this venue. The batting average and the number of fifties/centuries scored at this venue has been fairly consistent across both time periods.

Average innings score at The Oval


Looking at the statistics, the team that bats first and puts up a big total on the board has the advantage at this venue. The pitch is excellent for batting on the first two days and then it starts to crumble. Batting has traditionally not been easy in the third or fourth innings at this venue and both teams will be vary of this fact.

County trends at The Oval

Surrey are the county side that play their home first-class games at The Oval in Division 2. At the start of the summer in April, the UK was under the midst of a wet spell and that had spiced up the pitches that were used in the venue. In Surrey's first game against Glamorgan, no side managed to go past 300, with Surrey getting blown away for 81 in the second innings thanks to a haul of 6/29 from Graham Wagg. Surrey went on to lose the match by 10 wickets.

In the next match against Essex, rain played spoilsport but both teams managed to score in excess of 250 as the match was drawn. Their next encounter against Gloucestershire was a low-scoring thriller with both teams getting bowled out for under 200. Set 267 for victory on a difficult wicket, Surrey chased it down thanks to Graeme Smith's 103 as they won the match by four wickets. In that match, Chris Tremlett picked up 6/59.

In the game against Worcestershire, Surrey were blown away by Moeen Ali's 162 but the home team held on for a draw despite following on. Surrey achieved their first 500-plus score for the first time at home this season against Leicestershire as they won the match by 10 wickets. Another high-scoring draw ensued against Hampshire after Surrey racked up 474.

In the game against Kent, they were outplayed by a haul of 9/178 from Darren Stevens as they lost the match. Kent had notched up 408 and Surrey responded with 398. In the second innings, Kent managed 292 and Surrey folded up for 213.

The trend that can be established from this is that the pitches employed at The Oval this season have gotten better. Teams are managing to score over 400 on a regular basis. The last match against Kent fits the normal Test wicket that The Oval normally produces. It is good for batting and crumbles away as the game wears on.

Conclusion

The situation confronting India is pretty similar to the one they faced against Australia in 1981. After losing the first Test, they drew the second and won the third to level the series. In England 2014, India are currently trailing 1-2 and a win will go a long way in salvaging some pride for them. With their overseas record deteriorating and with all top players under immense pressure, India can take a leaf out of their opponents book by performing like they did in 2003. Against South Africa at The Oval in 2003, a double-ton from Marcus Trescothick and a fine bowling display helped England finish the summer on a high by drawing the series 2-2. That win was the revival of their cricketing fortunes. India will be hoping that a win in 2014 at this venue sparks off a similar trend.