Another humbling defeat
Stats highlights from Australia's emphatic innings win in the second Test in Sydney
Madhusudhan Ramakrishnan
06-Jan-2012
Ben Hilfenhaus, who picked up his second five-for, has 15 wickets in the two Tests at an average of 18.06 • AFP
In the 100th Test at the SCG, Australia completely bossed the game from day one and handed India their sixth consecutive away defeat. Here are highlights from a facile win that sees Australia go up 2-0 up with two to play.
- This is the tenth time that Australia have beaten India by an innings in Tests and their third innings victory against India in Tests at the SCG after the wins in 1981 and 2000. India's highest margin of defeat at the venue is the innings and 141 run loss in 2000. Australia's last innings victory came against West Indies in Brisbane in 2009.
- India have now lost three of their last six away Tests by an innings. On their tour of England, they lost the Edgbaston and Oval Tests by an innings. It is also the first time since 1967-68 that India have lost six straight away Tests. The last time this happened was between 1959 and 1968 when they lost 17 straight away matches including two consecutive series 5-0 in England and West Indies.
- India's record at the SCG now stands at 1-5. The last time they won a Test at the venue was back in 1978. Since then, they have lost three and drawn two matches.
- Michael Clarke became only the fifth player to score a triple-century and pick up a wicket in the same Test. Graham Gooch, Sanath Jayasuriya, Chris Gayle and Virender Sehwag are the other players to achieve the feat.
- In their last 22 innings (completed and declared innings), India have passed 300 only four times. This is the first time since the final Test in West Indies that India have managed to cross 300.
- Ben Hilfenhaus, who picked up his second five-wicket haul in the series, has taken 15 wickets in his last two matches at an average of 18.06. In contrast, in the last Ashes series, he picked up just seven wickets in the entire series at an average close to 60.
- Australia have now improved their head-to-head record in home Tests against India to 24-5. Their overall record against India now stands at 36-20.
- The 100th Test at the SCG ended in a victory for the home team. At both Lord's and Melbourne, the only other venues to host 100 Tests, the home team ended up winning the 100th Test. For England, it was the two-wicket win in 2000 against West Indies and for Australia, it was their 337-run win in the Boxing Day Test in the 2007 series against India.
- Sachin Tendulkar put on his ninth century stand with VVS Laxman. He has been involved in more century stands with Rahul Dravid (20), Sourav Ganguly (12) and Mohammad Azharuddin (9).
- Tendulkar scored his 65th half-century in Tests and his fifth fifty-plus score in Sydney in five Tests. He has now scored 785 runs at the venue at an average of 157.00.
- The 56-run stand between R Ashwin and Zaheer Khan is the eighth fifty-plus partnership for the eighth wicket for India in Tests in Australia. Three of these have come in matches played since 2008.