No spin: the best foreign bowlers in India

Australia will arrive in India on Monday with five spin bowlers in their 16-man squad, but history indicates their quicks are going to be crucial if the tourists are to somehow take down the world's No.1 Test team on their own soil.

The magnitude of the task facing Australia in their upcoming four-Test series was only enhanced by India's recent 3-0 and 4-0 series drubbings of New Zealand and England respectively, stretching their unbeaten run in home Tests to an extraordinary 19 matches.

And unless Virat Kohli's side suffers a shock defeat in their one-off Test against Bangladesh this week, India will enter the series against Australia having lost just one of their past 20 series at home.

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While India's spinners have been the driving force behind their remarkable winning streak, history shows that the majority of foreign bowlers to have been successful there have been fast men.

The 12 leading wicket-takers from visiting teams since 1980 may be an equal split of six pacemen and six spinners, but the quicks have been statistically far more effective than their slow-bowling counterparts.

Of the 23 bowlers to have taken 20 or more wickets since the start of the Eighties, nine of the top 10 leading bowling averages belong to quicks, as well as nine of the top 10 strike rates and eight of the top 10 economy rates.

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And of the 13 visiting spinners to have taken 15 or more wickets in India since 1980, only two have done so at an average of less than 30 runs per wicket.

The performances of Pakistan's Saqlain Mushtaq (24 wickets at 20.95 in 1999) and Englishman Graeme Swann (28 at 28.96 between 2008 and 2012) are even more impressive compared to their spin-bowling contemporaries, some of the greatest slow bowlers to have played the game.

Sri Lanka's Muthiah Muralidaran (40 wickets at 45), Australia's Shane Warne (34 at 43), Pakistan's Danish Kaneria (31 at 39), New Zealand's Daniel Vettori (31 at 44) and England's Monty Panesar (28 at 38) are the five most prolific foreign spinners in India since 1980. They had success, but their wickets came at a strike rate far higher than their fast-bowling teammates.

While most overseas spinners have struggled, some of the fast-bowling foreign legion have fired.

West Indies greats Courtney Walsh, Malcolm Marshall and Michael Holding, Australian duo Glenn McGrath and Jason Gillespie and even Englishman Matthew Hoggard all took more than 20 wickets and averaged less than 25 in India.

India's reputation as a spin-bowling haven comes not from visiting teams but the hosts, who have always relied predominantly on spin.

Of the 28 Indian bowlers to have taken 20 or more wickets at home since the start of the Eighties, eight of the top 10 leading bowling averages belong to spinners, as well as six of the top 10 strike rates and the 10 best economy rates.

The three most prolific bowlers in India since 1980 have all been spinners; Anil Kumble (350 wickets at 25), Harbhajan Singh (265 wickets at 29) and Ravichandran Ashwin (181 wickets at 22).

Statistically at least, it seems the question of whether to spin or not to spin is answered by the bowler's passport.

Leading bowling averages in India
Overseas bowlers since 1980 (min 20 wickets)

• Courtney Walsh (WI) - 43 wickets at 18.55 in seven matches
• Malcolm Marshall (WI) - 33 wickets at 18.81 in six matches
• Saqlain Mushtaq (Pak) - 24 wickets at 20.95 in three matches
• Glenn McGrath (Aus) - 33 wickets at 21.30 in eight matches
• Dale Steyn (SA) - 26 wickets at 21.38 in six matches
• Jason Gillespie (Aus) - 33 wickets at 21.72 in seven matches
• Michael Holding (WI) - 30 wickets at 22.10 in six matches
• Matthew Hoggard (Eng) - 22 wickets at 23.31 in six matches
• Ian Botham (Eng) - 30 wickets at 25.53 in seven matches
• Wasim Akram (Pak) - 27 wickets at 27.70 in eight matches