Laxman's hat-trick in Sydney

Stats highlights from the second day of the Sydney Test between Australia and India

Jan 3, 2008, 10:45 AM

Stats highlights from the second day of the Sydney Test between Australia and India.

VVS Laxman averages 115.25 in three Tests in Sydney © Getty Images

VVS Laxman's love affair with the Sydney Cricket Ground continues. His 109 is his third century in successive Tests at the ground, and his average of 115.25 at the venue is bettered only by his average in Mohali. (Click here for his ground-wise average.) The knock lifted his average in Australia to 59.46, with four centuries in nine Tests.

Yet again, the stand between Laxman and Rahul Dravid flourished. The two have batted together 59 times, and their partnership aggregate of 2996 runs has been bettered by just five Indian pairs. They average 56.52, with 11 century stands. Against Australia the numbers are even better: 1287 runs in 19 innings at an average of 71.50. Among pairs with at least 1000 runs against Australia, only Jack Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliffe have a better average.

Dravid's 53 is his 50th half-century in Tests, which equals Steve Waugh's mark. Only Allan Border, with 63, has more fifties.

For the first time in Test cricket, a team added more than 100 for the seventh and eighth wickets in the same innings. Andrew Symonds put together 173 for the seventh, with Brad Hogg, and then Brett Lee joined him for a 114-run stand for the eighth.

It was only the second century stand for the eighth wicket for Australia versus India. The previous one had come at the same ground on India's previous trip here, when Simon Katich and Jason Gillespie added 117.

Lee's 59 was just the second half-century by an Australian No. 9 batsman against India. Ian Johnson, the offspinner, scored 73 in Chennai way back in 1956.

Anil Kumble took all three wickets to fall in the Australian innings today, which helped him to a few milestones. When he trapped Stuart Clark in front, he became the first bowler to get 150 lbws in Tests. (Click here for the list before this Test began.) A little earlier, he became only the third to get 300 wickets caught by fielders. The four wickets in the innings took his overseas tally to 252, making him only the sixth bowler - and the first from India - to take more than 250 wickets abroad. He is now one short of getting to 100 wickets against Australia, which will make him the first Indian bowler to take 100 wickets against a specific team - Kapil Dev took 99 against Pakistan while BS Chandrasekhar managed 95 against England.

VVS Laxman Rahul Dravid Brett Lee India Australia Australia vs India India tour of Australia