Indian batsmen who prospered in England

To hit a century - or to be among the runs - in England is the dream of every cricketer. Not only is it the home of cricket, the alien wicket and weather conditions present a major challenge for visiting batsmen.

On the initial tours, Indian batsmen found it tough to come to terms with the rarefied atmosphere and the faster and bouncier tracks and frequently came a cropper.

But over the years, the batsmen led by Sunil Gavaskar have displayed the technique and temperament required to counter the vastly different conditions.

Partab Ramchand examines the feats of seven batsmen who over an extended period finished with an enviable record in England (Qualifications: Tests played: six, minimum runs: 500, average over 40).

Vijay Merchant: Tours: 1936 and 1946. Matches: Six. Runs 527. Average: 47.90. 100s: Two.

It was always on the cards that Vijay Merchant was one batsman who could succeed in England even as his teammates were floundering. He had the impeccable technique, ideal temperament and an insatiable appetite for runs. India lost both the contests in 1936 and 1946 but Merchant's batting was the redeeming feature.

The English critics raved about his methodical approach and Neville Cardus, while waxing eloquent on Merchant, wrote that if he were English he would solve the selection committee's most pressing problem of finding a safe No.1 batsman for the trip to Australia. 

"He is in method the Indians' good European and a thoroughly organized player," observed the doyen of cricket writers. Another critic wrote that Merchant's strokes were so measured that one could see as it were "the footrule peeping out of his pocket."

Merchant scored 112 at Manchester in 1936 sharing a famous 203-run opening stand with Mushtaq Ali and ten years later got 128 at the Oval. Though his Test appearances were limited, Merchant's controlled, classical and correct strokeplay saw him picked as one of Wisden's five cricketers of the year in 1937.​