By IANS
Ahmedabad : It was a day of lowest for India on the first day of the second Test against South Africa at the Sardar Patel Stadium, Motera here Thursday.
Nothing went India’s way right from the start after captain Anil Kumble won the toss and elected to bat. India were bowled out for 76 in 20 overs, which was their second lowest innings total at home.
India’s lowest total of 75 was against West Indies at Delhi’s Feroz Shah Kotla in 1987-88.
It is also India’s second lowest innings total against South Africa – their lowest being 66 at Kingsmead, Durban in 1996-97.
The other statistical highlights of the day are as follows:
# India’s lowest totals “under 100” at home are:
75 30.5 overs West Indies Delhi 1987-88
76 20 overs South Africa Ahmedabad 2007-08
83 27 overs New Zealand Mohali 1999-00
83 38.5 overs England Chennai 1976-77
88 33.3 overs New Zealand Mumbai 1964-65
89 54.2 overs New Zealand Hyderabad 1969-70
90 30.0 overs West Indies Kolkata 1983-84
# India’s 103 against the visiting West Indians in 1983-84 at Motera was the previous lowest completed innings total at this venue.
# India’s innings of 120 balls (20 overs) is also their shortest completed innings in terms of balls at home – their second lowest overall in Test cricket. During their lowest ever total of 42 in Test Cricket against England at Lord’s in 1974, the Indian batsmen had faced just 102 balls.
# For the first time, India have been dismissed in exactly 20 overs before lunch on the first day of a Test match. The said total is India’s seventh lowest in Test Cricket – the previous six lowest were 42 (17.0) vs. England at Lord’s in 1974, 58 (21.4) vs. England at Manchester in 1952; 58 (28.3) vs. Australia at Brisbane in 1947-48, 66 (34.1) vs. South Africa at Durban in 1996-97; 67 (32.2) vs. Australia at Melbourne in 1947-48 and 75 (30.5) vs. West Indies at Delhi in 1987-88.
# India’s 76 is now the fourth joint lowest score against South Africa in Tests.
# Dale Steyn (5/23) produced his 8th five-wicket haul – his first five-wicket haul against India.
# The aforesaid performance is his best away from home overseas Test and his third best overall.
# Steyn’s previous best against India was 4 for 30 at Cape Town in January 2007.
# Steyn’s figures are now the best by any bowler against India at Sardar Patel Stadium, eclipsing Wayne Daniel’s 5 for 39 for West Indies in 1983-84. England’s Ashley Giles is the only other bowler to bag 5 wickets in an innings against India at this venue – 5 for 67 in 2001-02.
# Steyn has recorded the third best figures by a South African in India – the top two being Lance Klusener’s 8 for 64 at Kolkata in 1996-97 and Paul Adams’ 6 for 55 at Kanpur in 1996-97. The only other bowler to claim five wickets in an innings for South Africa in India is Nicky Boje’s 5 for 83 at Bangalore in 1999-00.
# Graeme Smith, during the course of his innings of 34, became the first batsman to aggregate 700 runs in the calendar year 2008 – 706 at an average of 78.44 in six Tests, including two centuries and three fifties.
# Ashwell Prince’s wicket is Harbhajan’s 200th in 50 Tests while bowling with Anil Kumble in tandem.
# Harbhajan, with 11 wickets at 28.54 runs apiece, is the leading wicket-taker so far in the present series, now-in-progress.
# For the first time, four ducks (Sourav Ganguly, Kumble, R.P.Singh and Sreesanth) have been registered for India in a Test innings against South Africa, eclipsing the 3 each at Kingsmead, Durban in 2006-07 and at Chepauk in 2007-08.
# Ganguly’s 11th duck in Tests is his fourth against South Africa.
# Ganguly, in eight innings (5 Tests) in 2008, has managed to aggregate only 176 at an average of 22.00, including two fifties.
# R.P.Singh registered his third successive duck in Tests – vs. Australia at Adelaide and vs. South Africa at Chennai and Ahmedabad. He has now six ducks to his credit in Tests.
# R.P.Singh, in his last six innings, has recorded 5 ducks.