Calcutta Test: 5th and final day's statistical highlights...

Mohandas Menon

• VVS Laxman's 281 places him in the 21st position in the all-time individual scores recorded by batsman in Test cricket. However, his score remains the third highest by a batsman against Australia after Englishmen Len Hutton's 364 and Reg Foster's 287.

• Although Laxman has the highest score by an Indian batsman in an innings he missed out by just four runs the maximum runs scored by an Indian batsman in a Test match. His 340 runs (59+281) in this match falls short of Sunil Gavaskar's 344 runs (124+220) made against West Indies at Port of Spain in April 1971.

• The 376 run partnership between Laxman and Rahul Dravid was the 16th highest for any wicket in all Test cricket. It was the third highest for the fifth wicket and the second highest for any wicket for India.

• The Indian pair however just missed out the highest partnership ever recorded against Australia for any wicket, which still remains as the 382 (for the 2nd wicket) by the English pair of Len Hutton and Maurice Leyland at the Oval in August 1938.

• Dravid's 180 was the highest individual score made by an Indian batsman while batting at number six. He obliterated the previous highest of 177 (unbeaten) by Chandu Borde against Pakistan at Madras (Corporation Stadium)in January 1961. In doing so, Dravid also bettered the previous highest score by any number six batsman against Australia which was the 174 by former Indian batsman Sandeep Patil at Adelaide in January 1981.

• Shane Warne (1-152) for the first time in his Test career has conceded the maximum runs in an innings. The last occasion he conceded over 150 runs was on his Test debut (1-150) also against India at Sydney in January 1992.

• The total of 657-7 decl. was India's second highest ever total in Tests after the 676-7 against Sri Lanka at Kanpur in December 1986. India's previous highest against Australia was the 633-5 decl. also at this very ground exactly three year ago.

• The above total was also the third highest ever recorded against Australia in Tests after the 903-7 decl. by England at the Oval in August 1938 and 658-8 decl. also by England in the same series at Nottingham in June 1938. Interestingly in the last 55 years, since the War, India is the only country to record two of the highest team scores against Australia.

• Further, India's total of 657-7 decl. equals the highest ever recorded by a Test team after following-on. Pakistan's had also made 657-8 decl. against West Indies at Bridgetown in January 1958 after following-on (this was the innings in which Hanif Mohammad scored 337 after batting for 970 minutes).

• The difference of 486 runs - in India's totals of 171 and 657 - was the third largest variance between a team's two innings. Only Pakistan's 551 (106 & 657) against West Indies at Bridgetown in January 1958 and New Zealand's 497 (174 and 671) against Sri Lanka at Wellington in February 1991 exceeds India's effort. India's previous largest such effort was 422 runs when after being dismissed for 83 they had made 505-3 against New Zealand at Mohali in October 1999.

• Harbhajan Singh's figures of 13-196 was the second best bowling performance by an Indian bowler in a Test match against Australia after the 14-124 by off-spinner Jasu Patel at Kanpur in December 1959.

• Harbhajan's performance was also the second best at this venue after Javagal Srinath's 13-132 against Pakistan in February 1999, which India lost. However Harbhajan's match figures were the best by a spinner at Calcutta bettering the 11-105 by leg-spinner and former Australian captain Richie Benaud in November 1956.

• Interestingly, the last "spin" bowler to take 13 or more wickets against Australia in a Test match was Jasu Patel in December 1959 (see above) and before that was also an off-spinner - Jim Laker (19 wickets) in 1956. Since 1959 the only other bowler (spin or otherwise) to take 13 or more wickets against Australia was New Zealand's pace bowler Richard Hadlee at Brisbane in November 1985 when he claimed 15-123.

• At 20 years 255 days Harbhajan Singh became the youngest bowler to take a 10-plus wicket haul against Australia in Tests.

• India became the only second team (for the third occasion) after England, to win a Test match after being made to follow-on. In all the three instances the losing team was Australia. However India's win margin by 171 runs was by far the largest in such circumstances since England had won by just 10 and 18 runs respectively in 1894 (at Sydney) and 1981 (at Leeds).

• This was also the first time such a victory has been recorded on Indian soil. The nearest such instance almost came when India after following-on at the Brabourne Stadium in March 1965 had New Zealand down eight wickets for 80 runs after the latter were left about 150 minutes to score 255 runs in the fourth innings on the last day.

• This was India first win over Australia after losing five in a row since the Bangalore Test in March 1998. The last occasion India won a Test match against the Aussies was also at this very ground when it won by an innings and 219 runs on March 21, 1998.

• Meanwhile India put an end to Australia's record winning streak of 16 Test matches in a row since its first win on October 17, 1999 against Zimbabwe at Harare.

Aussies stumble at the Final Frontier

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