AUS vs IND, 2020-21: 1st Test, Day 2 – Australia's low total, Ashwin’s record spell, Smith’s century drought and more stats

India has an edge over Australia in the Pink-Ball Test match as they took a 53-run lead in the first-innings at the Adelaide Oval. Resuming the 2nd day at 233/6, the Indian team lost their remaining four wickets for just 11 runs with Mitchell Starc compiling a 4-wicket haul. Australia, in reply, kept losing wickets even while India kept dropping catches. India set for a huge lead after having Aussies 111/7 but skipper Tim Paine’s unbeaten 73 helped the hosts to finish with 191/10. India ended their day on 9/1 in their second essay for the cost of Prithvi Shaw.

Here are all the statistical highlights from the 2nd day’s play in Adelaide which saw the fall of 15 wickets:

Australia concedes lead for the first time:

1 – This is the first time Australia failed to claim the first-innings lead during a day-night Test match. Australia took the first-innings lead in each of their previous seven D/N Test matches including 100+ runs lead in six games.

2003 – India’s lead of 56 runs is the biggest first-innings lead for any visiting team in the very first match of a Test series in Australia in more than 15 years.

The last instance of Australia conceding 50-run first innings lead in the first match of a home Test series was during 2003-04 season also against India. The Indian team took an 86-run lead in the first-innings of the Test series opener at the Gabba which ended in a draw.

A low total to start the series:

191/10 – Australia’s total of 191/10 is now their lowest first-innings total in a Test series opener since getting bowled out for 190 at the Lord’s during the 2005 Ashes. This is also the first instance of Australia being dismissed under 200 in their first-innings of a home Test series opener since the 1990-91 Ashes where they were all out for 152 at the Gabba.

Captains step from the front:

3 – Virat Kohli and Tim Paine are now the 3rd pair of captains to be the only players with 50+ runs in the first innings of respective teams in the same Test match.

Lindsay Hassett-Freddie Brown in the 1950 Ashes Test at the MCG and Ken Rutherford-Mohammad Azharuddin during the 1994 Hamilton Test were the only half-centurions in their teams’ first innings.

Ashwin starts with a 4-fer:

1 – Ravichandran Ashwin is now the first spinner to pick a 4-wicket haul against Australia in a day-night Test match. Before Ashwin, there have been three 4-wicket hauls by spinners in D/N Tests on Australian soil; all of the three by Nathan Lyon only.

3 –Ashwin is only the 3rd Indian spinner to claim four or more wickets in Australia’s first innings of a Test series on the Australian soil. Bishen Singh Bedi (5/55) at the Gabba in 1977 and Anil Kumble (5/84) at the MCG in 2007 took 5-fers on the very first of a Test series on Australian soil.

2010 – The last visiting spin bowler before Ashwin to pick four or more wickets in a Test innings at the Adelaide Oval was Graeme Swann in 2010. The off-spinner from England took 5/91 in Australia’s second innings. Between Swann and Ashwin, there have been as many as six 4-wicket hauls by spinners at the Adelaide Oval, all of them recorded by Nathan Lyon.

Smith’s century drought:

1 – The sole run scored by Steve Smith in the first innings is now the lowest score across his last 50 innings in Test cricket. The last instance of Smith score one or fewer runs in a Test innings was during the 2016 Perth Test against South Africa where he bagged a duck in the first essay.

11 – Smith now has spent 11 innings in Test cricket without scoring a century since his 211-run knock during the last year’s Manchester Test. This is now the longest century less in Test cricket for Steve Smith ever since his maiden Test ton in 2013.

Bumrah strikes early:

3 – Jasprit Bumrah became only the 3rd bowler to dismiss the Australian openers ‘LBW’ in the same innings of a Test match on Australian soil. England’s Sir Alec Bedser in the first innings of the 1947 Melbourne Test and Sri Lanka’s Champaka Ramanayake in Australia’s second innings of the 1989 Brisbane Test are the other two bowlers to dismiss the home openers LBW in the same innings of a Test match in Australia.

2004 – The last instance of Australian openers getting dismissed ‘LBW’ in the same innings of a Test match at home was during the Brisbane Test against New Zealand in 2004.