Stats Highlights: Ind vs Eng, First Test, Day 2

First Published : 16 Nov 2012, 19:16
Last Modified : 16 Nov 2012, 19:18

By: Rajneesh Gupta

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Mumbai, Nov 16: After being on the brink of a remarkable century at the end of day’s play yesterday, Cheteshwar Pujara did one better by registering his maiden Test double-century. The Saurashtra batsman played a patient knock reminiscent of Rahul Dravid, the man whose shoes he is attempting to fill at the No.3 spot. Thanks to his innings India were able to post a healthy 521/8 decl. in their first innings.

Thereafter, the Indian spin duo of R Ashwin and Pragyan Ojha ensured that England remained on the back foot. The pair picked up three early wickets between themselves to corner the visitors at 41/3 at the end of the second day’s play at Motera. Ashwin, who is playing only his 9th Test, became the fastest Indian to get to 50 wickets. Here are those and some more records that were rewritten during today’s play:

Cheteshwar Pujara (206*) became the 19th Indian batsman to score a double Test hundred. It was the 41st double hundred for India – 25th on Indian soil and sixth against England.

At 24 years 296 days Pujara is the sixth youngest Indian to score a double hundred after Vinod Kambli (21 years 35 days), Sunil Gavaskar (21 years 283 days), Nawab Pataudi Jr (23 years 39 days), Sanjay Manjrekar (24 years 143 days) and Dilip Sardesai (24 years 219 days).

Pujara’s score is the third highest by an Indian batsman against England in India after Vinod Kambli’s 224 at Mumbai WS in 1992-93 and Gundappa Viswanath’s 222 at Chennai in 1981-82.

Pujara’s innings is the highest by an Indian on his first appearance against England. Sourav Ganguly held the previous record with 131 at Lord’s in 1996.

Only three batsmen – South Africa’s Graeme Smith (277 at Birmingham in 2003), Pakistan’s Zaheer Abbas (274 at Birmingham in 1971) and West Indies’ Viv Richards (232 at Nottingham in 1976) – have made higher scores than Pujara in their debut innings against England.

This was Pujara’s second Test hundred after 159 he made against New Zealand at Hyderabad in August 2012. Pujara thus became only the third Indian batsman to make 150-plus scores as his first two Test hundreds. Vinod Kambli (224 & 227) and VVS Laxman (167 & 281) are the other two players to achieve this feat.

It took Pujara only 9 innings to score his maiden Test double hundred. Among Indians only Vinod Kambli (4th innings) and Sunil Gavaskar (8th innings) took fewer innings to score a double hundred.

Graeme Swann (5/144) took his 14th five-wicket haul in Test cricket – his second against India. Since 1977 only two England spinners have taken five-wicket hauls on Indian soil - Ashley Giles and Graeme Swann... both at Ahmedabad!

Swann has now taken 45 wickets in the subcontinent. Only Derek Underwood (73) and Ashley Giles (52) have taken more wickets for England here.

India scored 500 or more for the 69th time in a Test innings, 40th time at home and 3rd time at Ahmedabad.

R Ashwin – with the wicket of Nick Compton – completed his 50 wickets in Test cricket. By doing so in just 9 Tests Ashwin became the quickest Indian to reach this milestone, taking the record from Anil Kumble, who took his 50th wicket in his 10th Test. The following table lists the quickest Indians to reach 50-wicket mark in Test cricket: