Stats: India register their lowest total in Test cricket history

Team India came up with a shocking batting display in the first Test against Australia at the Adelaide Oval to register their lowest score in Tests. India were all out for just 36 with Mohammed Shami retiring hurt being the last nail in the coffin. What promised to be a memorable game for the visitors, eventually turned out to be a disastrous one for Virat Kohli & Co. as their batsmen fell like a pack of cards on day three.

Team India were firmly on the driver’s seat when day two ended. After India were all out for 244 in their first innings, their bowlers came up with a stunning display to bowl out Australia for 191 and give the visitors an unexpected lead of 53. Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was the pick of the bowlers with four wickets while Umesh Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah picked three and two wickets respectively.

India ended day two on 9 for 1 after losing Prithvi Shaw cheaply. And while the cricketing world was expecting the Virat Kohli-led side to further strengthen their position in the game, they were in for a huge surprise at the start of day three. Not a single batsman managed to reach the double figures with Mayank Agarwal’s 9 being the top score.

It all started with Jasprit Bumrah’s dismissal in the second over and ended with an injury to Shami as Australia completely annihilated the visitors. The likes of Cheteshwar Pujara (0), Ajinkya Rahane (0) and Virat Kohli (8) could not stop the slide either. For Australia, Josh Hazlewood picked up 5 wickets for just 8 runs while Pat Cummins took 4 wickets.

Lowest innings totals in Test cricket history

India’s lowest total in Tests

The 36-run total is now India’s lowest score in Test cricket. Their previous lowest was the 42 runs they had scored against England way back in 1974. This is also only the second time that India failed to touch the 50-run mark in the longest format of the game. Overall, Test cricket has seen just eight instances of teams being all out for less than 40. New Zealand’s 26 against England in 1995 is the lowest total in Test cricket.

India’s lowest totals in Test cricket history