A rank turner in Wankhede, a sporting pitch in Ahmedabad, and a surface in Delhi that didn't aid sharp turns—India's last three home Tests have offered three entirely different games of cricket. Two of those, against the West Indies, ended in easy wins. But the one before that—a 2024 Test against New Zealand at Wankhede—saw India collapse for 121 while chasing 147, spun out by Ajaz Patel's left-arm magic.
advertisement
If there's one takeaway, it's this: no two Indian home Tests feel the same any more.
Travel across India's Test map and you'll see how varied it has become. Chennai and Nagpur have always spun. Bengaluru and Kolkata can swing between fast and slow, depending on the soil and season. And then there are the outliers—the Guwahatis and the Cuttacks – where the red ball feels almost foreign.
So when India play Tests all across the country, the idea of home advantage begins to blur.
It's this very inconsistency that Ravichandran Ashwin highlighted recently on his YouTube channel. The off-spinner argued that Test cricket spread across unfamiliar venues often leaves the Indian team guessing as much as their opponents.
"In Guw
Continue Reading on India Today
This preview shows approximately 15% of the article. Read the full story on the publisher's website to support quality journalism.