STATS BURST
Follow UsOn a winning spree
India have now won seven successive series across all formats during their current home season after they came from behind to win the ODI series against the touring Australian side. The Virat Kohli-led team began the home season with a drawn (1-1) T20I series against South Africa after the opening match on September 19, 2019 at Dharamshala was abandoned without a ball bowled because of rain.
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Rohit stars as an opener
Rohit Sharma, in the Mumbai ODI, became the 11th batsman to aggregate 7000 runs while opening the innings in the format. He thus joined an impressive list of batsmen who have the distinction of being a part of this club. West Indies’ Desmond Haynes was the first opener to reach this landmark in ODIs, way back in December 1991.
India’s Sachin Tendulkar, Sri Lanka’s Sanath Jayasuriya and West Indies’ Chris Gayle are the only ones in this elite list to aggregate over 10000 runs as an ODI opener. On current form, Rohit should be able to reach this milestone of 10000 runs in another two years’ time.
Rohit is the only batsman in the list to have a batting average of 50+ as an ODI opener. South Africa’s Hashim Amla just missed the cut, and he is followed closely by Tendulkar. The second graph has the list of openers with their batting averages.
The third graph provides the list of the batsmen who have achieved this - the quickest and the slowest. Rohit in doing so in just 137 innings is by far the quickest in the fewest number of innings to reach 7000 ODI runs as an opener.
Second left-arm wrist spinner to 100 ODI wickets
Kuldeep Yadav, during the Rajkot ODI, became the 22nd Indian bowler to claim 100 or more wickets in ODI cricket. By doing so in his 58th match, he became the third quickest Indian but the quickest spinner to reach this landmark in the fewest matches.
Interestingly, in all ODI cricket, Kuldeep is the joint third quickest among spinners. For the record, Kuldeep is now the 12th left-arm spinner to claim 100 or more wickets in ODIs and only the second left-arm wrist spinner after Australia’s Brad Hogg. The three graphs below provide all the details.
High match run aggregates without an individual century
The Rajkot ODI saw 644 runs being scored by both sides in 99.1 overs. However, the match did not provide a single individual century with Steve Smith’s 98 and Shikhar Dhawan’s 96 being the highest scores. This run aggregate is not only the highest without an individual three-figure score on Indian soil but in any ODI match in Asia. Overall, the match also occupies the fourth position in ODI cricket history.
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The 9000 runs club
Rohit, during his knock of 119 in Bengaluru, became the 20th batsman in ODI cricket history to complete 9000 runs. He thus became the seventh Indian to reach this landmark - the most for any side (next best: five by Sri Lankan batsmen). In doing so, he also became the third quickest (in fewest innings) to achieve the milestone. Interestingly, four Indians occupy the top five positions in the graph below.
Leading from the front
Kohli, in the Bengaluru ODI, became the eighth batsman in ODI cricket history to complete 5000 runs while captaining the side. He also joins three other Indian captains to reach this landmark – again the most for any side (next best: one each for Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Sri Lanka). Kohli, while doing so in his 82nd innings, is by far the quickest (in fewest innings) to achieve this landmark as an ODI captain.
Series comebacks
India once again showed how they can make a successful comeback despite losing the first match of an ODI series. They have now done so on eight occasions in their history - the most by any side. England and Pakistan are the next best - having done so on six occasions. Team India have done it on five occasions in the last two years alone!
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(all records mentioned above are from men's cricket and are complete and updated until 21 January 2020)
