Sri Lanka v India 2017: 1st Test, Day 2 – Statistical Highlights

India continued their command over the Sri Lankans as they posted a huge total of 600 in the first innings and had the home side half down by the end of the 2nd day for just 154. Though Sri Lanka managed to strike early on in the day, all-rounders and the lower-order thrust the Indian total to exactly 600. Indian pacers struck early to push Sri Lanka into tatters, while Abhinav Mukund’s fielding brilliance gave them a couple of wickets in the last hour of the day.

Here we look at all the stats and records created during the day’s play.

2 – India’s first innings was only the 2nd instance when four Sri Lankan bowlers conceded more than 100 runs at home in the same Test innings. The other instance was in 2010 also against India at Colombo SSC. Interestingly, that Test had also begun on July 26, 2017.

3 – Number of left-handed batsmen who have featured in this game for India; the most since Mohali Test against Australia in 2013.

3 – Number of sixes Hardik Pandya hit in the first innings. No Indian before Pandya has hit more than two sixes on their Test debut. Overall, only two players have hit more than 3 sixes in an innings on Test debut.

3 – Dimuth Karunaratne’s batting average against Umesh Yadav in Test cricket. Umesh has dismissed Dimuth 3 times in 35 balls conceding only 9 runs in the format.

4.5 – India’s run rate of 4.5 is their highest and the 10th highest for any team in a 600+ total in Test cricket. India had a run rate of 4.44 during their total of 721/9 dec in 2009 at Mumbai (BS) also against Sri Lanka.

6 – Number of 150+ scores in Test cricket for Cheteshwar Pujara; the joint most by any player since 2012. Michael Clarke, Virat Kohli, Joe Root, Steven Smith and Younis Khan all have six scores of 150 and more in Tests in this period.

6/132 – Nuwan Pradeep is only the 2nd Sri Lankan pacer to take a 6-wicket haul against India in Test cricket. Rumesh Ratnayake picked up 6/85 in 1985 at Colombo (SSC).

9 – Nuwan Pradeep’s 5-wicket haul was only the 9th by a pacer in Test cricket at Galle. Among the venue which hosted more than 25 Tests; only Galle and Guyana (9) witnessed less than 10 five-fers by the pacers. Both the venues hosted 30 Tests each.

48 – Balls Hardik Pandya needed to score his fifty; the 2nd fastest by an Indian on Test debut. Yuvraj of Patiala scored fifty in just 42 balls on his debut in 1934 against England.

159 – Runs Rangana Herath has conceded in the India innings; the 3rd most by any player in a Test inning while leading the team. Graeme Cremer conceded 187 vs New Zealand last year while Daniel Vettori conceded 178 vs India in 2010.

600 – India’s total of 600 is the highest total in the first innings of a Test match by a visiting team in Sri Lanka. The previous highest was 580/9 dec by West Indies in 2010 also at Galle.

2007 – Last instance when 10 players in an inning added double digit scores for India before this Test was at The Oval in 2007 against England. All the 11 Indian batsmen scored more than 10 in the first innings of that Test.

2008 – Last time before this Test, India lost 9 or more wickets to pacers in first innings of a Test match in Asia was in 2008 against South Africa at Ahmedabad. South Africa pacers picked all the 10 wickets to bowl India out for 76 in that inning.