India’s invincibility at home took a major hit on a cloudy morning in Bengaluru on Thursday when they were routed for a shocking 46 on Day 2 of the series opener against New Zealand. (More Cricket News)
The famed batting line-up of arguably the greatest team in home conditions in Test cricket history, was blown away to smithereens by the Kiwi pace trio of Tim Southee, Matt Henry and William O’ Rourke. ‘46’ was as much a consequence of some exceptional fast bowling in helpful conditions by the opposition quicks as of some very ordinary batting by the Indian batters.
We look at a few numbers that define the abysmal batting display by India on Day 2 in Bengaluru.
A Record Low
46 – The lowest score at home by India and the lowest score in Asia
India were bundled out for 46 in the first innings on Day 2 in Bengaluru. It is the lowest total for them at home in their Test history! Their previous lowest was 75 in Delhi in 1987 when Patrick Patterson and Winston Davis ran through the line-up and bagged eight wickets between them.‘46’ is also the lowest total by any team in home conditions in almost 70 years! New Zealand were cleaned up for 26 by England in Auckland in 1955.
Overall, it is the third-lowest total for India in Test cricket after Adelaide, 2020 (36) and Lord’s, 1974 (42).
‘46’ is also the lowest team total in Asia in Test cricket. The previous lowest was 53. West Indies were bowled out for 53 against Pakistan in Faisalabad in 1986 while Pakistan was also dismissed for the same total (53) against Australia in Sharjah in 2002.Interestingly, the previous lowest team total in India was New Zealand’s 62 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai in 2021.
Duck Tales
5 – The joint-most ducks in the top 8 batting positions in a Test innings
As many as five of India’s top 8 (Virat Kohli, Sarfaraz Khan, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin) were all dismissed without scoring on Day 2 in Bengaluru. It is only the second instance in Test history (and the first in 136 years!) that five amongst the top 8 in an innings have been sent packing for a duck.
4 – The most ducks for India’s top 7 in an innings at home
Virat Kohli, Sarfaraz Khan, KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja – were all dismissed for a duck in the first innings in Bengaluru. It was only the third instance in India’s Test cricket history that as many as four batters in the top 7 went without scoring. The other two instances were both overseas in England – in 1952 at Leeds and 2014 in Manchester.
Single Digit Scores
13 – It was the 13th instance when 9 (or more) Indian batters have been dismissed for a single-digit score in an innings
The Indian batters committed hara-kiri in overcast conditions in Bengaluru and as many as nine of them were dismissed before registering a double-digit score! It was the 13th such occasion for India when nine (or more) of their batters have been dismissed before scoring 10 in a Test innings!
Collapse Of The Top Four
15 – The third-lowest aggregate runs for India’s top 4 in an innings at home
India’s top 4 scored a total of 15 runs in the first innings in Bengaluru which is the third-lowest such aggregate after Kanpur, 1979 (10 vs Pakistan) and Ahmedabad, 2010 (14 vs New Zealand) at home.
10 – The New Zealand pacers took all 10 wickets in India’s first innings in Bengaluru
The trio of Tim Southee, Matt Henry and William O’Rourke accounted for all 10 Indian wickets in the first innings on Day 2 in Bengaluru. Interestingly, it was this very team – New Zealand – at the same venue (the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru)who wasthe last visiting unitwhose pacers bagged all 10 Indian wickets in an innings -in 2012. Southee led the pack then and returned with a seven-wicket haul whereas Trent Boult (one wicket) and Doug Bracewell (two wickets) also chipped in with useful contributions.
5/15 – The fourth-best bowling figures by a New Zealand pacer in India
Matt Henry returned with a brilliant spell of 5-15 in 13.2 overs in the first innings in Bengaluru. These are the fourth-best bowling figures by a New Zealand pacer in India after Tim Southee (7-64 in Bengaluru in 2012), Dion Nash (6-27 in Mohali in 1999) and Richard Hadlee (6-49 in Mumbai in 1988).
Henry also became the joint second-fastest to 100 Test wickets for New Zealand achieving the feat with the dismissal of Kuldeep Yadav. Henry reached the milestone in his 26th Test, taking the same number of matches as Neil Wagner. Hadlee breached the 100 dismissals mark in his 25th Test.
India Chasing History
50-BELOW –Only one team has won a Test after being dismissed for a total of less than 50 in the first innings.
England were routed for 45 in the first innings of the Sydney Test against Australia in 1887 and still staged a comeback to win the match by 13 runs. It is the only instance in Test history of a team coming out victorious after being skittled for less than 50 in the first innings of a Test match! India needs to redefine history in Bengaluru!
