2020 has not been a good year for the Indian cricket team. Having been eliminated by their lowest test score of 36 in the first test in Adelaide, they are now heading to the Boxing Day test in Melbourne looking at an unwanted first time in the history of Indian test cricket.
If India fails to draw or win the second Test against Australia, then it will be the first time in its 88 years for a Test Nation to lose every match in a calendar year (minimum 3 tests).
India has yet to register a victory in this year’s tests. If they fail in Melbourne, it will be the first time in this century that India has not recorded a victory in a calendar year in Testing. In the history of test cricket, this will be the 19th instance that a team was unable to win or take a test in a calendar year after playing a minimum of 3 tests.
Bangladesh has done it 5 five times. Zimbabwe, Australia and South Africa three times, while England, New Zealand, the West Indies and Sri Lanka have all gone once without a win or draw in a calendar year.
India’s three Tests this year, two against New Zealand and one against Australia so far, have produced a result that has gone against them, not a single Test has ended in a draw.
If India fails to beat Australia in the Boxing Day event, this will also be the first instance this century that the Indian team would come back without a win in a test cricket calendar year.
Australia’s good form is a factor
This Boxing Day test will be the 100th test match between the two sides, Australia has dominated the contest with 43 victories in the 99 tests played so far. The Time Paine-led team got off to a good start in the Border-Gavaskar series this year with a resounding 8-wicket victory over the visitors.
Australia will head into the Boxing Day event full of confidence as they have yet to lose a home event after the 2018-19 Border-Gavaskar trophy.
India’s record in CGM
Playing for MCG, India has won 3 events out of 13 matches. They last recorded a 137-race win over Australia in 2018.
In particular, India will not have the services of its regular captain, Virat Kohli, as he has flown home for the birth of his first child and pacemaker, Mohammed Shami, who has been dropped from the series due to a broken wrist. .
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