Stats Analysis

South Africa fall to record lows

Stats highlights from the second day's play in Nagpur, where South Africa collapsed to their lowest total since their return to Test cricket

Shiva Jayaraman
26-Nov-2015
R Ashwin was only the second spinner in over 100 years to bowl through an innings in which the opposition was dismissed  •  Associated Press

R Ashwin was only the second spinner in over 100 years to bowl through an innings in which the opposition was dismissed  •  Associated Press

82 The previous lowest total by a team against India in Tests - Sri Lanka in Chandigarh in 1990-91. South Africa were bowled out for 79 in Nagpur. It was also South Africa's lowest total since their return to Test cricket in 1992. Their previous lowest had also come against India, in Johannesburg in 2006, when they were dismissed for 84. This was also their lowest total since they were bowled out for 72 by England in Cape Town in 1957. Click here for the lowest totals by South Africa in Tests.
12 Runs South Africa had scored when they lost their fifth wicket in their first innings - the lowest score for which they have lost half their side in Tests. The previous lowest had come against Australia in 1902 in Cape Town, when they were 14 for 5.
2012 The last time before R Ashwin in South Africa's first innings that a spinner bowled unchanged through an entire innings in which the opposition was all out. Monty Panesar had opened the bowling for England and had sent down 22 of the 44.1 overs that India played in the Mumbai Test in 2012-13. Ashwin's effort in this Test, though, was only the second such instance in Tests since 1909. Before Panesar, England left-arm spinner Colin Blythe had bowled 23 overs unchanged in the first Test of the Ashes in 1909.
5 Number of five-wicket hauls by Ashwin in Tests in 2015; only the ninth instance when an India bowler has taken five or more such hauls in a year. The last bowler to do this was Anil Kumble, who took six hauls in 2004. Apart from Kumble, two others - Subhash Gupte in 1955 and Harbhajan Singh in 2001 - have taken six five-fors in a year.
14 Five-wicket hauls by Ashwin in just 22 Tests in Asia. Ashwin's 138 wickets are also the most by any bowler in his first 22 Tests in Asia. Waqar Younis is second with 130 wickets.
21.44 Ashwin's bowling average in Tests in Asia - the third best by any bowler with at least 100 wickets and the best for a spinner. Imran Khan's bowling average of 20.28 is the best for bowlers with at least 100 wickets in Asia.
20 Wickets that fell in the first four sessions in this Test - only the sixth time in Tests since 2006 that 20 or more wickets have fallen within the first four sessions of a Test. The last such occurrence was in the Dubai Test between Pakistan and England in 2011-12, when 22 wickets fell in four sessions.
12 Runs by South Africa's top five batsmen in their first innings - equalling the third lowest they have aggregated in any Test innings. They had also made 12 in the Test against England in Leeds in 1998. Their lowest before Leeds, and their lowest ever, had come in 1932 at the MCG, when they had made just 10 runs.
3 Number of previous instances when No. 7 batsmen had played the most balls for their teams in the first innings of a Test. Wriddhiman Saha faced 106 balls and JP Duminy played 65, batting at No. 7 in this Test. This had happened in a Test in Chittagong in 2002-03, when Bangladesh's Khaled Mashud had faced 93 deliveries and West Indies' Ridley Jacobs had played 108.
33.1 Overs South Africa's first innings lasted - their third shortest when they have been bowled out since their return to Test cricket. They had been bowled out in just 24.3 overs by Australia in their first innings of the Cape Town Test in 2011, which is their shortest. Their shortest innings against India had come in Johannesburg in 2006 when they were bowled out in just 25.1 overs.
2005 The last time before Imran Tahir that a visiting legspinner took a five-for in Tests in India - Danish Kaneria's 5 for 127 in Bangalore. Overall, including Tahir's, there are only ten such instances, five of which have been by Richie Benaud. Tahir's 5 for 38 was his second five-wicket haul in Tests. He had taken 5 for 32 against Pakistan in the Dubai Test in 2013-14.
32 Wickets that fell on the first two days of this Test - the most in any Test in India. The previous highest was 27 wickets that had fallen on the first two days of the Kanpur Test in 1951-52. This is also only the second instance since 1912 when as many as 32 wickets have fallen on the first-two days of a Test. The last such instance came in the Cape Town Test in 2006-07 when 32 wickets had fallen on the first two days.
20 Wickets that fell on the second day of this Test - equal the most that have fallen on a single day of a Test in India. The third day of the Mumbai Test between the hosts and Australia in 2004-05 had also seen 20 wickets fall. This is also only the 11th instance when 20 or more wickets have fallen on the second day of any Test. The last such instance was in the Cape Town Test in 2011-12, when 23 wickets had fallen.

Shiva Jayaraman is a senior sub-editor (stats) at ESPNcricinfo.com. @shiva_cricinfo