STATS HIGHLIGHTS
Follow UsAfter a dismal batting performance in the first Test in Nagpur, Australia made amends in the second Test. They have posted a competitive total of 263, thanks to half-centuries by Usman Khawaja (81) and Peter Handscomb (72*).
Three Indian bowlers bagged three wickets in this innings with Mohammad Shami, leading the pack with a 4/60. There were few notable stats and records from Day 1 of the first Test, here are a few of those:
Jadeja’s double in quick time
He is the number one all-rounder, and that is just not a statement. On the first day of the second Test, Ravindra Jadeja dismissed the well-set Khawaja, courtesy a fantastic catch by KL Rahul at point.
With that wicket, Jadeja became the 14th player in Tests to achieve the double of scoring 2500+ runs and picking up 250+ wickets. Among Indians, he was the fourth after Kapil Dev (5248 & 434), Ravichandran Ashwin (3066 & 460) and Anil Kumble (2506 & 619).
Jadeja achieved this feat in just 62 matches, the second quickest among the lot. Sir Ian Botham reached the double in just 55 matches, the fastest.
Jadeja averages 37 with the bat and 24.3 with the ball, an average difference of 12.2 between batting and bowling. Among the 14 players, only Kallis (22.7) and Imran Khan (14.9) have a higher average difference.
A century against Australia for Ashwin
At the start of this Test, Ravichandran Ashwin had 97 wickets against Australia. With wickets of Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith and Alex Carey, Ashwin registered a century of wickets.
In Tests, he is now the second Indian after Kumble (111) against the same opponents, to bag 100 or more wickets against an opposition. He is also the second bowler in Border-Gavaskar trophy to reach this milestone.
Overall, he is the 15th bowler to bag 100 wickets against Australia and the sixth spinner to do so. Among Asians, Kumble and Ashwin are the only two bowlers with 100+ wickets against Australia.
Ashwin, a thorn in Smith’s path of late
If a non-Asian batter averages 55 in India, in the era of Ashwin and Jadeja, it is an achievement, and Steve Smith is one of those to accomplish this. He averages 40+ against both the spinners.
However, in recent times, Ashwin holds the edge over him. Smith has an overall average of 59.9 against Ashwin. That average was even higher two series back. In the first three series against Ashwin, Smith was dismissed only thrice at an average of 116 in 14 innings. He had a balls/dismissal ratio of 190.
But, in the last two series, Ashwin has bagged the batter four times in eight innings, and the batter averages only 17.75. Smith has lost a wicket every 35.75 balls. Clearly, the tables have turned in the battle of the greats.
In Tests, only the England pace duo Stuart Broad (9) and James Anderson (8), have dismissed him more times. Yasir Shah and Ashwin are tied with seven.
Adding more to his misery, in international cricket, this was Smith’s 15th duck. Before today, no bowler had dismissed him for a duck multiple times. Ashwin is the first to do so. The other instance came in 2020 in the Melbourne Test.
A special debut for Kuhnemann
It was a special day for Matt Kuhnemann as he received his maiden Test cap. It was even more special when he was asked to open the bowling, despite the experience of Nathan Lyon, and recent success of Todd Murphy.
In Tests, he became the fourth Aussie spinner to open the bowling on debut, and only the second after Joey Palmer in 1880, to do so in his debut innings (1st innings of his debut match). Palmer opened the bowling in both the innings on debut against England.
Jadeja extends his good run against Australia
In Tests, Jadeja has 73 wickets against Australia, his most against an opposition. He has picked up those wickets at an average of 18.3, which is the second best after Jim Laker, among bowlers who have taken 50+ wickets since the start of the 20th century (1900).
In 25 innings against Australia, Jadeja has never been wicketless. In fact, in 88 percent of the innings, that is 22 out of 25, he has picked up two or more wickets. Among bowlers who have bagged 50 or more wickets against Australia, that is the highest percentage of innings in which a bowler has had a two-plus wicket haul.
