@birdiesix: the 2nd point shows Henriques did achieve something unique. Bit harsh on Kumar... "only comes in at No.19". Take out that partnership, and you've got a pretty different game....

Posted by   on (February 26, 2013, 17:01 GMT)

@btron3000 Javed Mianded 188 runs and 1 wkt, Azhar Mahmood-178 runs and 2 wkts, Scot Styris 176 runs and 2 wkts(176,2), WG Grace(161,3), Walter(155,2) have more runs combined then Moises Henriques(149,1) on debut while taking a wicket at least. You can get that details here http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/stats/index.html?class=1;debut_or_last=1;filter=advanced;orderby=runs;qualmin1=1;qualval1=wickets;template=results;type=allround;view=match

Posted by   on (February 26, 2013, 14:48 GMT)

@Kobus Prinsloo,Ashwin has played only 13tests till date and just 3tests outside india(in aus) taking 9wickets at 67 so he's still on a learning curve,hope he improves sooner than later since india is very short of a strike bowler

The feat is not unique. It is rare as the sub-heading suggests. "Unique" means that it has never been done by anyone.

@Kobus Prinsloo - A better question would be "How many matches has Ashwin played outside the subcontinent?" The answer to your question is 9 wickets in 3 Tests (all 3 Tests in Australia)

@Henrik Lovén, anyone who played or watched cricket will tell you playing away spin is more difficult than incoming spin. This means left handed batsmen find off spin more difficult where as right handed batsmen find leg spin and left arm spin more difficult to handle.

@write2nix, Henriques feat is unique bcoz Aus lost in-spite of his feat, while in the previous 4 cases (half century in both innings on debut), Aus won or drew the matches.

"Bhuvneshwar Kumar's 38 is the highest score by an Indian No.10 batsman on Test debut" - That's impressive? I heard someone scored a debut 100 (113) at number 10 last year :)

Henrik Lovein,

I thought the general opinion expressed by experts is that left handers find facing off spin more difficult, in fact selectors plump for off spine over leg spin , sometimes even compromising on quality when the opposition has more left handers.Away going spin is more difficult than incoming spin. Even in convetional swing people tend to edge to splis outswing and get an inside edge on to pads against in swing. Of course the story line changes when there is reverse swing , which changes swing, away in air and cominn in off the picth and other way around depending on the shiny/roughed up side face

Posted by   on (February 26, 2013, 9:35 GMT)

Ashwin's effectiveness against left-handers is a bit surprising as he's an "offie". The trend otherwise seems to be that off-break bowlers are more effective against right-handers while left-handed batsmen are more troubled by left-handed bowlers and right arm leg-spin. It's not surprising that in the days before doosras etc, off spinners were thirteen-a-dozen as the left handed batsman was a rarity between, say, 1960 and 1990. With ever-increasing numbers of left-handers, genuine or by choice, no wonder there's been an upswing in leg spin (and left arm spin bowling).

Warner and watson should open and they both both should start like they start in T20 agessively and put india on backfoot straight away................ Good luck Aussi

What is the highest total of runs a scored on debut by someone who took a wicket?

Posted by   on (February 26, 2013, 6:35 GMT)

How many wickets have Ashwin taken outside the subcontinent?

@Batmanian: I think the uniqueness is not merely the 60+ in each innings, but the fact that it has not been done by a #7 or lower before Henriques. Just the 60+ score itself is not unique - Sunil Gavaskar scored 65 and 67* not out in his debut Test, and there will probably be others as well.

@bobagorof, the unique feat is first debutant to score 60+ in both innings. I know, you can find something unique about anything by fiddling with the parameters, but in this case he played useful roles in two suspect team innings, and that is to praised in a team that's lost its Hussey. It is, therefore, an elegant statistical talking point.

with defeat also Henriques' is big +ve for australia... australia certainly missing mike hussey here.. if australia want to come back then shane watsom must fire..otherwise its probably diffculut..

Henriques' unique feat - Explain "Unique" please. Am I the only one confused?

The 2nd bullet describing MH's unique feat is an absolutely stupid (meaningless) stat. Why consider 60+ runs? 50 is a decent landmark. Why batting position of number 7 or more is important?

@bobagorof: Super Like! I couldn't notice anything unique either.

Henriques is also the first batsman to score 60 or more in each innings on Test debut when batting at No.7 or lower. This is Henriques unique feat

Sorry, but where is Henriques' 'unique feat'? There are a couple listed that several people have done before, which makes noteworthy but not unique. Did I miss something?

@ROXSPORT. Siddle average is 48 wickets at 32 overseas & Starc has just played his 2nd test overseas, so your comments are way off the mark.

@Channa Jayadewa ya justlike siddle ans starc , ashwin also wont take many wickets outside their home. but he will take atleast 1 or 2......oh by the way that include srilankan players too.... they wont take wickets against india in their home toooo......

@Baseball-Sucks wats so big deal???? dhoni doesnt play for record you see.......

Posted by   on (February 26, 2013, 1:57 GMT)

to backwardpoint - I believe FAF du Plessis (I could be wrong) had an average of nearly 300 for a while - a couple of big not outs against Australia

Posted by   on (February 26, 2013, 1:23 GMT)

Oddly enough, being a great spinner isn't sufficient to do well in India. Shane Warne averaged 43.11 in India (according to statsguru) - a stat which surprises me.

Posted by   on (February 25, 2013, 23:06 GMT)

Doube Ton on debut Matthew Sinclair versus the West Indies that seems like and age ago. Great innings it was. 219 if I remember correctly.

Surajdon9, excellent post, if any are not available, I would respectfully like to add Stuart MacGill and Phil Tufnell to your list.

I think 7 LBW's to 0 might be a statistic worth highlighting.

I think we can safely say that India would've wrapped this up yesterday if DRS had been used and Ohja picked. Given that he must have known how bad it would looked on TV cameras, Clarke should have walked for 39. It would've meant India getting the best use of this track for 2 days solid. Australia have played appallingly, and there is a huge gulf between the sides in the spin department, then the batting department. And the captaincy department too - Compare Dhoni's majestic innings against Clarke's atrocious decision not to walk. There's a huge gulf between India and Australia. India's top order, however, needs to produce.

Why the heck did Dhoni take Ashwin out of the attack when Aussies were 9 down and still behind?

@Baseball-Sucks Sangakkara is much superior batsman in tests.Why compare with Dhoni? Reverse is true in case of ODI's. Both are good .

I see most letters have concluded that the game is over for the Aussies, and being an Indian I really do hope so. But a game is not over until it is finished. I expect the Aussies to fight to the very end.

@ Channa Jayadeva: Big Deal!!!!! Hasn't this test shown that Siddle & Starc can wickets only at home. Why so much fuss ????? Enjoy while the fun lasts.

Last pair Batting shows real class, Talent and ability of Indian Bowlers..ha ha ha well played Moises ...Come on Aussies We can still win the Match But for that the Batting line of india Must be Chris Martin(NZ), Gleen McGrath (AUS) , Courtney Walsh(WI), Pommie Mbangwa(ZIM), Martin Saggers(ENG), Jack Saunders(AUS), Bert Ironmonger(AUS), Bhagwat Chandrasekhar(IND), Manjural Islam(BAN), Maninder Singh(IND), Fidel Edwards (WI)

If Henriques gets good support from Lyon and completes a century on debut, it will be an outstanding feat. This will also stretch the lead close to 100, which may make the fifth day interesting given the state of the pitch and the fragile indian batting line up. Strange things have happened before in cricket !!..

I noticed one more. He has an avg of 143 [and can possible go up by a notch tomorrow]. Has there been a double ton on debut anytime... would this avg of his be amongst the highest after the first test? [I am not considering batsmen who were not out after the first test though as it will skew this sort of comparisons by not registering an avg for them all, since they never got out.

Huh haa.. Dhoni still couldn't pass Sangakkara. :P Sanga scored 230 against Pakistan as the designated W'keeper .

Posted by   on (February 25, 2013, 15:10 GMT)

Regarding Henriques' feat: of the five Australians to score a brace of fifties on debut, he is the only one to also take at least one wicket. He is the fourth person in history to score two fifties and take a wicket on debut, after Tony Grieg (1972), Azhar Mahmood (1997), and Scott Styris (2002).

Notably, both Mahmood and Styris converted one of their fifties into a century (as Henriques might tomorrow, if he is very lucky). Grieg did not, but managed to take five wickets in the match.

I agree with ravi. The pitch was in our favor, and the spinners took full advantage of it. If the aussies had a quality spinner, this test would have been a lot tighter. If India has to win the series, they have to win in HYD because going by our history we have lost many series after taking the lead> Moreover, we dont have the killer instinct to knock out the opposition. I'm sure the Australian team will bounce back soon. But on a finishing note, i would like to congratulate Capt Dhoni for his knock of 224.

India may win this match tomorrow, but still need to be concerned about various issues. 1) We cant have this over dependency on Ashwin, need to see other bowlers pitching in with wickets 2) Dhoni's knock put India in a strong position, but chances are this may not happen regularly in this scale. The openers need to fire. Sehwag and Vijay dont inspire much at the moment. Remember how Cook took inspiration from his Ahmedabad performance (even though England lost) and went on to frustrate India through the rest of the series. The same can easily happen here as well - unless there are multiple strong performers.

Posted by   on (February 25, 2013, 14:38 GMT)

Ashwin can take wickets only in Indian soil, a poor record in overseas conditions.

The test is going on expected lines. No one gave a chance to the inexperienced Aussie batsmen against spin and on such a kind of wicket, even Indians would have folded up if Aussies had good spinners. The fact that Aussies could not post a big total after winning the toss has ruined their chances of making a match out of it. However, it is the never-say-die Aussie spirit which has dragged the game into day 5. A little bit of discipline from the top line would have given Aussies an outside chance of saving this test. However, they can relax a bit as the next 2 tests are played on better wickets. Mohali is where Aussies would fancy their chances and if they can manage to avoid defeat in Hyd, they can hope to end the series 1-1. I dont think you can give full credit to Indian spinners as they came good together only when the pitch has become so treacherous. If they had done this on day 1 then their prowess would have been proved. It is very clear that they cannot win matches overseas.