In Stats: Rahul Fourth-Fastest to 1000 Test Runs & Jadeja’s ‘Best’
Nathan Lyon may have swept India in the first innings, but Cheteshwar Pujara seems to have his number.
Cheteshwar Pujara struck an unbeaten 79 and Ajinkya Rahane at the other end was batting at 40 at stumps on Day 3 of the Bangalore Test between India and Australia. The hosts hold a 126-run lead after, having posted 213/4 in their second innings so far.
Earlier, Australia had scored 276 in their first innings with left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja returning with best figures of 6 for 63 among the bowlers. (Read: Pujara and Rahane Rescue India’s Sinking Series Chances).
But what do the numbers say? Indulge yourself for a minute, if you may, and take a look at where individuals from both teams stand, as far as personal milestones are concerned.
- Ravindra Jadeja's 6-63 were his best innings figures in Test matches against Australia.
- His 6-wicket haul was his second-best innings returns in his Test career; he had picked up 7-48 against England in Chennai last year.
- While Ravindra Jadeja only bowled 21.4 overs for his 6-wicket haul, his teammate Ravichandran Ashwin had to bowl 49 overs for 2 wickets. The 49 overs Ashwin bowled in Australia's first innings in Bangalore was the most he had bowled in this current home season.
- KL Rahul's 51 was the first time he had reached the half-century mark while batting in the second innings. Prior to the 51 in Bengaluru, his highest second-innings score was 38 - made against New Zealand at Kanpur last year.
- KL Rahul's 51 was his second half-century of the match; he became only the 5th Indian batsman - and the second Indian opener - to make 50-plus scores in both innings of a Test match in Bengaluru. The last Indian batsman to accomplish the two-innings feat was Virat Kohli, who scored 103 & 51* against New Zealand in 2012.
- During the course of his second-innings 51, KL Rahul also reached the 1000 Test runs milestone. He became the 64th Indian batsman to reach the 1000-run mark.
- Rahul also became the joint-second quickest - among India's Test openers - to get to the 1000-run mark; only Sunil Gavaskar and Ravi Shastri had taken fewer than Rahul's 23 innings to get to the 1000-run mark.
- During the course of his second-innings half-century, Cheteshwar Pujara also reached 2500-runs in Tests at home; at the end of the day's play, his aggregate in home Tests stands at 2500.
- Cheteshwar Pujara has now scored more runs against Nathan Lyon than against any other one bowler; by the end of the day's play, Pujara had taken his aggregate runs against Nathan Lyon to 164.
- The unbeaten 93-run partnership between Cheteshwar Pujara & Ajinkya Rahane - India's 3rd 50-plus partnership in this series - became the highest partnership in the Test series.
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