Statistical highlights - Third ODI, at Indore

Mohandas Menon

•  Sachin Tendulkar, became the first batsman in LOI history to reach the landmark of 10,000 runs, when he reached the score of 34, during his innings of 139. He emulated former India captain and opener Sunil Gavaskar, who had also become the first batsman in Test history to reach the 10,000th run aggregate on March 7, 1987 against Pakistan at Ahmedabad.

•  Playing in his 266th match and 259th innings, Tendulkar (139) recorded his 28th LOI hundred. He now has 10,105 runs (avg. 42.64) at the end of this match.

•  Tendulkar also took his aggregate to 1552 runs (avg. 50.06) in 31 matches against the Aussies. Now only West Indians Des Haynes (2262 runs, 64 matches) and Viv Richards (2187 in 54) have scored more runs against Australia than Tendulkar in LOIs.

•  However by scoring his sixth hundred against this team he has now equalled Haynes' tally of maximum hundreds against Australia. •  This was Tendulkar's eighth score exceeding 130 runs in LOIs. He now equals teammate Ganguly by becoming the second batsman to record eight scores above 130 in LOI history.

•  His hundred was by far the highest at this venue bettering the two other hundreds scored here - 105 not out by South African Gary Kirsten on October 19, 1996 and the 102 by Indian Ravi Shastri on October 6, 1984 - both coming against the Australians.

•  In the last three matches in-form batsman VVS Laxman has been progressively bettering his personal best scores of his career. He scores in this series were 45 (at Bangalore), 51 (at Pune) and now this personal best of 83.

•  The second wicket partnership of 199 runs between Tendulkar and Laxman was incidentally the third highest for any wicket against Australia. The best two partnerships, which were also for the second-wicket are the 205 between West Indians Haynes and Richards at Melbourne on December 9, 1979 and the 202 between Englishmen Graham Gooch and David Gower at Lord's on June 3, 1985.

•  The partnership also surpasses India's previous best for any wicket against Australia, which was the 175 for the first wicket between Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly at Kanpur on April 7, 1998. This obviously also eclipses India's previous best for the second wicket against Australia which was the 165 between Gavaskar and Mohd. Azharuddin at Sharjah on April 5, 1987.

•  The Tendulkar-Laxman effort was also by far the highest at this ground for any wicket bettering the 149 put on by West Indian openers Haynes and Gordon Greenidge against India on December 1, 1983. The previous best for the second wicket at this ground was the 122 by Indians Manoj Prabhakar and Vinod Kambli against Zimbabwe on November 11, 1993.

•  This pair became the first in LOIs to miss a double-century partnership by just one run. The previous highest partnership in the 190s was in fact recorded by the Indian pair of Tendulkar and Ganguly, when they put on an unbeaten 197 runs for the first wicket against Zimbabwe at Sharjah on November 13, 1998.

•  India's team score of 299-8 was by a long way the highest at this ground. The previous highest was the 248-5 by India and 248 by Zimbabwe on November 18, 1993.

•  When he claimed the wicket of Dahiya, Glenn McGrath became the third Australian bowler, after Shane Warne (249 wickets, 160 matches) and Craig McDermott (203 in 138), and the 13th bowler in LOIs to claim 200 or more wickets. McGrath was playing in his 133rd match.

•  This was India's 25th win over Australia in LOIs in 65 matches. Only West Indies (52 in 98 matches) and England (31 in 67) have won more matches against Australia.

•  The 118 run win equals India best run margin victory against Australia in LOIs. India had won by the same margin at Chelmford during the World Cup on June 20, 1983. However this was in a 60-over-a-side match. Incidentally this was Australia's joint fifth largest defeat by runs margin against any team in LOIs.

•  The man of the match award was Tendulkar's 38th of his career. This was his ninth such award against Australia in 31 matches. He equals the tally of West Indian Des Haynes, who in 64 matches against the Aussies has also received nine awards.

Mail your comments