Stats Analysis

India's longest unbeaten run, and Ashwin's many ten-fors

R Ashwin dominated the stats again as India wrapped up victory early on the fifth day in Mumbai

S Rajesh
S Rajesh
12-Dec-2016
India have equalled their longest unbeaten run of 17 Tests  •  ESPNcricinfo Ltd

India have equalled their longest unbeaten run of 17 Tests  •  ESPNcricinfo Ltd

17 Consecutive Tests in which India have remained unbeaten, which equals their record - they also went 17 Tests without a defeat between September 1985 and March 1987; however, they only won four of the 17 matches over that stretch, drawing 12 while one was tied. In this stretch of 17, India have won 13 and drawn four. There have been only six instances of teams going more than 17 Tests without a defeat, with West Indies' 27-match stretch in the 1980s being the best.
5 Successive series wins for India, which also equals their record: they had won five in a row between 2008 and 2010, at home against Australia, England and Sri Lanka, and away in New Zealand and Bangladesh. This time, they have won at home against South Africa, New Zealand and England, and away in Sri Lanka and the West Indies. The record for any team is nine, by England and Australia.
3 Instances of teams losing by an innings after scoring 400 or more in the first innings of a Test. The two previous such instances were in 1930, when England lost to Australia at The Oval, and in 2011, when Sri Lanka lost in Cardiff.
7 Ten-wicket hauls for R Ashwin, just one behind Anil Kumble's eight, which is the highest for India. Ashwin has played just 43 Tests for his seven such hauls - only two bowlers have reached there quicker: Sydney Barnes, who got there in 27 Tests, and Clarrie Grimmett (37). The next fastest is 58 Tests, by Dennis Lillee.
24 Five-wicket hauls for Ashwin, which takes him past Kapil Dev, and into third place in India's all-time list, after Kumble (35) and Harbhajan Singh (25). In terms of number of matches to get to 24 five-fors, Ashwin is second fastest after Barnes, who had 24 in 27 Tests. Muralitharan got there in 58 Tests, and Richard Hadlee in 60.
12/167 Ashwin's match haul, the best for India at the Wankhede, and the second best by any bowler here, after Ian Botham's 13 for 106 in 1980.
15 Five-fors in Tests for Ashwin in the last two years, which the highest for any bowler in two successive calendar years. Muralitharan took 14 on two occasions - in 2000-01 and 2006-07. Ashwin's eight such hauls this year is one short of the record by any bowler in a calendar year - Malcolm Marshall (in 1984) and Muralitharan (in 2006) had nine each.
15 Runs for which England lost their last five wickets, as they slumped from 180 for 5 to 195 all out. Only once have they lost their last five for fewer runs against India - in Mohali 15 years ago, when they collapsed from 224 for 5 to 238 all out in their first innings.

S Rajesh is stats editor of ESPNcricinfo. @rajeshstats