Laxman's stronghold

A statistical preview of the second Test between India and Pakistan in Kolkata beginning on November 30, 2007

29-Nov-2007

Cricinfo looks at the numbers that could matter ahead of the second Test at Eden Gardens, a match which Pakistan must not lose in order to keep the series alive.

India have played 34 Tests at Eden Gardens of which they've won eight and lost as many. Four of those wins, however, have come in the last six Tests; two against Australia, and one each versus South Africa and Pakistan.

Pakistan have played twice in Kolkata in the last ten years. They staged a remarkable comeback after being reduced to 26 for 6 in the first innings to win in 1998-99 but lost in 2004-05.

Like several other Indian venues, batting first will be the way to go at Eden Gardens. The captain winning the toss has batted first in 29 out of 34 Tests and no team has opted to bowl first in the last nine Tests in Kolkata.

The decision to bat is backed up by the fact that the average runs per wicket drops drastically from 32.21 in the first innings to 24.68 in the last six Tests at Eden Gardens.

Batting averages across innings at Eden Gardens (Last 10 years)
Innings	Runs	Avg	100s
1st	1933	32.21	3
2nd	2328	42.32	6
3rd	2254	41.74	6
4th	790	24.68	0

Spinners have played a significant role in the fourth innings in Kolkata. Since 1997, the spinners have bowled 175.4 overs in the final innings and taken 23 wickets at an average of 18.65 and a strike-rate of 45.8, a massive improvement from their figures in the first three innings.

Spinners in each innings at Eden Gardens (Last 10 years)
Innings	Overs	Wickets	Avg	Strike-rate
1st	260.4	20	36.20	78.2
2nd	317	20	51.05	95.1
3rd	316.2	23	40.65	82.5
4th	175.4	23	18.65	45.8

On the whole, however, there isn't much to choose from between spin and pace. Spinners have taken 86 wickets in 1069.4 overs at an average of 36.15 while fast bowlers have fared marginally better.

Spin v Pace at Eden Gardens (Last 10 years)
Type of bowler	Overs	Wickets	Avg	Strike-rate	5wi
Spin	1069.4	86	36.15	74.60	6
Pace	1193.4	103	35.46	69.5	2

Opening batsmen have prospered at Eden Gardens. The first-wicket partnership has averaged 52.50 in 22 innings with four century stands and five half-century partnerships. The highest was 191 between VVS Laxman and Navjot Sidhu against Australia in 1998.

VVS Laxman's 281 against Australia in 2001 is the highest individual score at Eden Gardens. He also has the best record among the Indian batsmen in Kolkata, scoring 786 runs in seven Tests at an average of 71.45. Rahul Dravid had a fantastic outing in the last Test played here; he scored twin centuries against Pakistan in 2004-05 to set up India's victory.

Current Indian batsmen at Eden Gardens
Batsman	Matches	Runs	Avg	100s	HS
VVS Laxman	7	786	71.45	2	281
Rahul Dravid	7	785	65.41	3	180
Sachin Tendulkar	8	555	42.69	1	176
Sourav Ganguly	7	292	24.33	0	65

Pakistan's batting hinges on Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan, both of whom have scored centuries at Eden Gardens. Yousuf is the only player in the team to have played more than one Test in Kolkata and he's scored 184 runs at an average of 46.60 while Younis scored 147 runs in his only Test in Kolkata in 2004-05.

Anil Kumble took ten wickets in 2004-05 to bowl India to victory against Pakistan but it's Harbhajan Singh who has the best record among India's bowlers. Harbhajan has taken 33 wickets from five Tests at Eden Gardens at an average of 20.87.

Current Indian bowlers at Eden Gardens
Bowler	Matches	Wickets	Avg	5wi	BB
Harbhajan Singh	5	33	20.87	4	13-196
Sourav Ganguly	7	5	25.60	0	3-37
Anil Kumble	7	35	29.65	2	10-161
Zaheer Khan	2	5	41.00	0	3-86

Younis Khan Mohammad Yousuf VVS Laxman Anil Kumble Rahul Dravid Pakistan India Pakistan tour of India

George Binoy is an editorial assistant at Cricinfo