107 sixes, 345 fours, nine hundreds

Stats highlights from a relentless run-fest between India and Australia

04-Nov-2013

Vinay Kumar and James Faulkner exchange words, India v Australia, 7th ODI, Bangalore, November 2, 2013

A total of 3596 runs were scored in the six ODIs between India and Australia, for the loss of 73 wickets in 541.3 overs - a run rate of 6.64 per over, and an average of 49.26 per wicket. In all ODI series - bilateral and otherwise - in which at least two matches have been played, never has such a high scoring rate been achieved: the previous-best was 6.62, when India toured New Zealand in 2009. The top four series in terms of run rates have all involved India.

The series aggregate of 3596 runs is the fourth-highest in a bilateral ODI series: the three higher ones were all seven-match series, but in each of them the series run rate was less than six per over. In 11 completed innings in this series, there were nine scores of 300 or more, and five instances of teams scoring 350 or more, both of which are records in bilateral series. The previous record for 300-plus scores was six, while no bilateral series had produced more than two scores of 350 or more. In this series, the only two instances of teams not getting to 300 were when India scored 232 in Pune, and Australia ended with 295 in the washed out game in Ranchi.

There were 107 sixes struck, easily a record in a bilateral series - the previous-best was 62. The number of fours, though, is only the fourth-highest: when West Indies toured India in 2002-03 for the seven-match series and when India went to England in 2007, 353 fours were struck, eight more than in this series. The nine centuries scored, though, is again a record in a bilateral series.

India finished with a slightly higher run rate (6.71) than Australia (6.57), and also scored more hundreds - six, to Australia's three. Australia struck more sixes (66 to 41) and fours (181 to 164) than India, though that was also partly because they played an extra innings. However, the batsman who hit the maximum number of sixes was India's Rohit Sharma - his 23 sixes is a record by a batsman in any ODI series, bilateral or otherwise; the previous-highest was 20, by Shane Watson in just three matches on the tour to Bangladesh in 2011. The next-highest by an Indian in the series was eight, by Virat Kohli. On the other hand, Australia had four batsmen with more than ten sixes: Glenn Maxwell (16), George Bailey (15), James Faulkner (14) and Watson (12). (Click here for India's batsmen and bowler averages in the series, and here for Australia's.)

Rohit's 491 runs is also a record for highest aggregate in a bilateral ODI series, while Bailey's 478 is the second-highest. Before this series, the best was Hamilton Masakadza's 467 against Kenya in 2009.

Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit added 533 runs for the opening wicket in the series, the second-highest aggregate by a pair of batsmen in any bilateral series. They also put together three century partnerships, only the fourth instance of a pair adding three or more century stands in a series.

India's top two wickets added 839 partnership runs in the series, the fourth-best ever and their highest by far in a bilateral series. In fact, so good were the trio of Rohit, Dhawan and Kohli, that Yuvraj Singh's utter failure - 19 runs in four innings - was hardly even noticed.

With only four fielders allowed outside the circle even in non-Powerplay overs, batsmen didn't care to score quickly in the mandatory Powerplay overs. Instead, the onus was on keeping wickets intact. In the mandatory Powerplays, the average run rate was 5.33 per over, with only two out of 107 sixes coming during that period - one each by Rohit and Aaron Finch. However, only eight wickets went down during that period. In the batting Powerplays, teams scored at almost eight per over but also lost wickets. Through the rest of the innings, the two teams averaged 6.86 per over and almost 50 runs per dismissal.

Break-up of runs scored in the Ind-Aus ODI series
Period of inngs	Runs	Balls	Dismissals	Average	Run rate	4s/ 6s
Mandatory Powerplay	609	685	8	76.12	5.33	90/ 2
Batting Powerplay	432	330	13	33.23	7.85	44/ 16
Rest of the innings	2555	2234	52	49.13	6.86	211/ 89

The most productive overs in the Ind-Aus ODI series
Over No.	Runs	Balls	Dismissals	Run rate	4s/ 6s
48	135	54	1	15.00	11/ 10
50	103	46	7	13.43	9/ 6
47	101	54	1	11.22	9/ 5
49	86	54	3	9.55	8/ 3
44	99	63	0	9.42	10/ 4
25	100	66	0	9.09	6/ 7
38	95	66	3	8.63	8/ 4
37	94	66	2	8.54	9/ 3
28	92	66	2	8.36	3/ 6
46	76	55	2	8.29	7/ 2

With so many batting records getting smashed, it wasn't a happy time for bowlers. In the last ODI in Bangalore, Vinay Kumar became only the fifth bowler to go for more than 100 runs in an ODI. However, the batsmen had given the team so many runs to play with that he became the first to concede more than 100 and yet end up on the winning team.

Vinay Kumar Rohit Sharma Shane Watson George Bailey India Australia Australia tour of India

S Rajesh is stats editor of ESPNcricinfo. Follow him on Twitter