Vijay, Pujara put India in pole position
Stats highlights from day two of the second Test in Hyderabad
Madhusudhan Ramakrishnan
03-Mar-2013
M Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara are just 92 short of the highest partnership in India-Australia Tests • BCCI
After losing Virender Sehwag early, M Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara turned the game on its head by adding an unbeaten 294 runs for the second wicket. Here are the numbers from day two at Hyderabad which ended with the hosts in total control.
- For the third time against Australia, two or more centuries were scored by Indian top-order (1-3) batsmen in an innings. The previous two occasions came in Sydney 1986 when Sunil Gavaskar, K Srikkanth and Mohinder Amarnath made centuries and in Perth 1977 when Gavaskar and Amarnath scored centuries, Since the beginning of 2000, India have scored the most centuries against Australia (27 in 28 matches) followed by England, who have scored 25 in 30 Tests.
- The 294-run stand between M Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara is the third-highest second-wicket stand for India and their highest such partnership against Australia. Their highest second-wicket stand overall is the 344-run stand between Gavaskar and Dilip Vengsarkar against West Indies in Kolkata in 1978. The partnership is also the sixth highest for the second wicket in Tests against Australia with the highest being 382 between Len Hutton and Maurice Leyland at The Oval in 1938. Vijay had also been involved in a 308-run stand for the third wicket in the second Test in Bangalore on Australia's previous tour of India in 2010. The partnership is 92 runs short of the highest ever stand in India-Australia Tests - the 386-run stand between Michael Clarke and Ricky Ponting in Adelaide in 2012.
- Vijay, whose maiden century also came against Australia in 2010 in Bangalore, scored his first century in over two years. Between his two centuries, Vijay scored just 153 runs in 11 innings at an average of 13.90. Vijay's century is also the first by an Indian opening batsman in matches against Australia since the Bangalore Test in 2010. Since 2000, Indian opening batsmen have scored the second-highest number of centuries against Australia (8). Only England are ahead on the list with 11 centuries.
- Pujara's century is his fourth in Tests and first against Australia. In ten Tests so far he has scored 975 runs with four centuries and a half-century (on debut against Australia). Three of his centuries have been 150-plus scored with the highest (206) coming against England in Ahmedabad in 2012. In his previous Test at the venue (against New Zealand), Pujara had scored 159. His 162 is also the third-highest score by an Indian No. 3 batsman against Australia after VVS Laxman's 281 (Kolkata 2001) and Rahul Dravid's 233 (Adelaide 2003).
- Pujara and Vijay were quite slow to begin with bringing up the fifty-run stand off 157 balls. The next fifty-run stand was quicker and came off 97 balls. The subsequent fifty-run partnerships came off 80, 63 and 50 balls respectively.
- Pujara scored at a run-rate of 5.12 off the bowling of James Pattinson (41 off 48 balls) and 5.11 off Glenn Maxwell (29 off 34 balls). In contrast, he was much more subdued against Moises Henriques (27 off 60 balls). Vijay also scored quickly off Maxwell (26 off 26 balls) and Xavier Doherty (52 off 84 balls). Pujara had a fairly even distribution scoring 77 runs on the off side and 85 on the leg side. Vijay, however, scored 74 os hif 129 runs on the off side.
- Sehwag failed yet again falling to Peter Siddle for six. In six out of his last 12 innings against Australia, Sehwag has been dismissed in single figures. His last century against Australia came in Adelaide in 2008. Since the Mohali Test in 2010, Sehwag has scored 338 runs in 15 innings against Australia at an average of 22.53 with three half-centuries.
Madhusudhan Ramakrishnan is a sub-editor (stats) at ESPNcricinfo