Seven tons in a Test, and Murali's travails

	Ahmedabad was only the third time Murali failed to take a wicket in a Test innings in which he conceded over 100 runs. Also, the third time the leading wicket-taker and the top run-scorer faced off © AFP Enlarge
Related Links Ask Steven : Barath's debut feat, and Umar Akmal's too Ask Steven : Last week's column: Test cricket's lack of centurions, and the most ODI runs without a hundred

There were seven individual hundreds in the Ahmedabad Test. Is this a record? asked Sivaram from India
The high-scoring match between India and Sri Lanka in Ahmedabad provided only the fifth instance of seven centuries being scored in the same Test (the previous one was also in 2009, in the match between West Indies and England in Port-of-Spain). But the record is eight individual hundreds in a Test, in the match between West Indies and South Africa in St John's in 2004-05. For a full list, click here.

Has Murali ever previously conceded more than 100 runs in a Test innings without taking a wicket, as he did at Ahmedabad? asked Annie Mathew from the United Arab Emirates
Remarkably, Muttiah Muralitharan has only failed to take a wicket in a Test innings in which he has bowled on 12 occasions (out of 221). Apart from his 0 for 124 in the just-concluded Test in Ahmedabad, he has only twice failed to take a wicket while conceding over 100 runs - 0 for 137 from 46 overs against India in Nagpur in 1997-98, and 0 for 136 from 33 overs against New Zealand in Dunedin in 1996-97. Murali collected another record in Ahmedabad, this time a slightly unwanted one: it was the 58th time he had conceded 100 or more runs in a Test innings, beating Anil Kumble's previous mark of 57.

How many teams have scored more than 400 runs in both innings of a Test, as India did at Ahmedabad? asked Cherise Asha Clarke from Trinidad & Tobago
By my reckoning India's feat of passing 400 in both innings against Sri Lanka at Ahmedabad last week has been matched only nine times in Tests. No fewer than six of those were by Australia: they scored 511 for 6 dec and 460 for 8 against New Zealand in Wellington in 1973-74; 450 and 452 against England in Sydney in 1924-25; 441 for 5 dec and 425 against Pakistan in Melbourne in 1972-73; 463 and 401 for 7 dec against India in Sydney in 2007-08; 458 and 404 for 3 against England at Headingley in 1948; and 411 and 427 against England at Trent Bridge in 1938. The other instances were by Pakistan (588 and 490 for 8 against India in Faisalabad in 2005-06), India (407 and 407 for 9 dec against Pakistan in Kolkata in 2004-05), and South Africa (530 and 481 against England in Durban in 1938-39).

Sachin Tendulkar reached the milestone of 30,000 runs in international cricket in the Ahmedabad Test. Has anyone else made 25,000? asked Anurag Sachdeva from India
Sachin Tendulkar did indeed pass the milestone of 30,000 runs in all international cricket (Tests, ODIs and Twenty20 internationals) during the Ahmedabad Test last week. No one else has yet passed 25,000: Ricky Ponting is next with 24,057. Brian Lara, Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis, Sanath Jayasuriya and Inzamam-ul-Haq have also all passed 20,000 international runs all told.

When Murali bowled to Tendulkar in Ahmedabad, it was apparently only the third time that the highest wicket-taker in Tests had bowled to the leading run-scorer. Who was involved in the other two instances? asked Dilpreet Singh from Australia
The previous occasion was during the third Test between Australia and West Indies in Adelaide in November 2004, when the then leading bowler, Shane Warne, bowled to Brian Lara, who had surpassed Allan Border as Test cricket's top run-scorer during his innings of 226 there. The only other time it happened was back in 1886-87, in the first Test in Sydney, when Arthur Shrewsbury of England faced up to the Aussie "Demon", Fred Spofforth. Going into that match Shrewsbury had 903 runs and Spofforth 94 wickets.

Both wicketkeepers scored centuries in the Ahmedabad Test. Has this ever happened before? asked Ganesh Pandey from India
Rather surprisingly, there is only one previous instance of both wicketkeepers scoring a century in the same Test. It happened in St John's in May 2002, when Ridley Jacobs made 118 for West Indies, and Ajay Ratra scored 115 not out (his only Test century) for India.