R Ashwin’s record-breaking spree, Josh Hazlewood’s career-best, Cheteshwar Pujara’s first and Nathan Lyon’s contrast between first and second-innings number stand out
Bharath Seervi07-Mar-20172:19
Key numbers – First instance of four different bowlers taking six-fors
75 India’s victory margin in Bengaluru, the third-biggest for a team defending less than 200. India’s previous best while defending below 200 was their 64-run win over South Africa in Ahmedabad in 1996-97, after they set a target of 170.87 India’s first-innings deficit, from which they went on to win the Test. It is the fourth-largest first-innings deficit India have overcome to win a match. The top two are also against Australia: 274 runs at Eden Gardens in 2001 and 99 runs at Wankhede Stadium in 2004.11 Runs for which Australia lost their last six wickets – their joint third-quickest six-wicket collapse. They slid from 101 for 4 to 112 all out. Against India, it was the joint second-quickest such collapse. In the first Test, India had lost their last seven wickets for 11 runs in the first innings.3 India successfully defended a target of 188, their joint fourth-lowest in Tests. Three of the five smallest targets defended by India have been against Australia. Before this, Australia had failed to chase 107 at Wankhede Stadium in 2004-05 and 143 at MCG in 1980-81.ESPNcricinfo Ltd25 Five-fors for Ashwin in just 47 Tests – the quickest among all bowlers. The previous fastest to 25 five-fors was Richard Hadlee in 62 matches. Among India bowlers, Anil Kumble took 86 matches and Harbhajan Singh took 93 matches to do the same. Ashwin is overall the tenth bowler to have 25 or more five-fors.269 Test wickets for Ashwin – the fifth-highest for India. He went past Bishan Bedi’s tally of 266 wickets. He also completed 200 wickets in home Tests in his 30th Test, the quickest among the four India bowlers to do so.4 Number of bowlers (Nathan Lyon, Ravindra Jadeja, Josh Hazlewood, Ashwin) who took six or more wickets in an innings in this match. This is the first such instance in Test history. There have been only two more Tests where bowlers took four six-wicket hauls and both were played more than 100 years ago4.85 Average partnership for wickets sixth and below in this series for India – their lowest in any series in which they have had 20 or more partnerships. India’s last five wickets added 10 and 18 in Pune and 33 and 36 in this Test. India’s average stand for those wickets in the home season prior to this series was 46.22, with six 100-plus stands and eight fifty-run stands in 49 innings.ESPNcricinfo Ltd1979 The year in which an Australia fast bowler last recorded better figures in India than Josh Hazlewood’s 6 for 65. Geoff Dymock took 7 for 67 in Kanpur. Overall, Hazlewood’s figures are his best in Test matches and the fifth-best by an Australia bowler in India. Steve O’Keefe and Nathan Lyon have also registered their career-best figures in this series.16.98 Difference in Nathan Lyon’s bowling averages in the first and second innings in Asia. He has picked up 38 wickets at 30.84 with three five-fors in the first innings. In comparison, he has just 17 scalps at 47.82 with no five-fors in the second innings. He has similar numbers in India – 20 wickets at 25.20 in first innings and eight wickets at 32.25 in second innings. The difference in the averages of the two innings in his overall career is only 1.90.0 Previous instances when Cheteshwar Pujara was dismissed in the 90s before his fall on 92 in Bengaluru on Tuesday. Before this, he had gone on to score a century on each of the ten occasions when he crossed 90.
