On Tuesday, India took an unbeatable 3-0 lead against England in the ongoing one-day international series. With Zimbabwe shocking Australia on August 31, India reclaimed the number one position in ODI rankings after losing it during the New Zealand series earlier this year.

This is a reversal of the Test match results where India lost three matches without even putting up a fight.





These two charts show the stark difference in performance over the two formats in the past three and a half years. Ever since the World Cup triumph in 2011, India has kept up the pace in one-day matches against various opponents outside of India. Barring Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, India has a winning percentage against all other teams. India’s favourite opponents in the one-day field are its neighbours, Sri Lanka. Out of the 15 matches played against Sri Lanka in the past three and a half years, India has won ten of them. Their win-loss percentage against Sri Lanka is 2.5.

Under MS Dhoni, India has now won 91 one-day wins from 162 games with a win-loss ratio of 1.59, making him the most successful captain, surpassing Mohammad Azharuddin.

The only blip in India’s record was against New Zealand where India couldn't even win a single match in the series played earlier this year.

At home, India has been pretty much unbeatable in both formats but overseas, the answer is clear. India falter in Test matches abroad and comprehensively so. Some of the matches lost were from winning positions.

With the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand fast approaching, the focus of the Indian team will be solely on one-day internationals, and defending its title will be top priority. It shouldn’t mean that India should look past the dismal performance in Test matches. A shake up within the team is needed and maybe even a change of guard. India may celebrate Dhoni for being the most successful one-day captain ever but in Test matches overseas, his record is far from bright.