Prithvi Shaw joins Sachin Tendulkar in overseas record books

At 20 years, 112 days, Shaw’s 54 on the opening day of the Christchurch Test made him the second youngest Indian batsman to register a Test fifty on New Zealand

India batsman Prithvi Shaw in action against New Zealand in Christchurch.

6

The number of Test series victories for New Zealand at home against India. This was India’s 10th tour of New Zealand overall, the first being in February-March 1968, when the visiting side won the four-match series 3-1 to register its first ever overseas series win against any opponent. Since then, India has managed to win just one more series in New Zealand, in March-April 2009 when it won at Hamilton by 10 wickets while the two other Tests were drawn. This also means that after winning three Test matches in the 1968 series, India has managed to win just two more Tests in New Zealand in their last 21 matches spanning 51 years! For the record, India’s Test performance in SENA countries (South Africa, England, New Zealand, Australia) has been quite dismissal, as shown in the tables below.

India’s Test series results in New Zealand

Season	Matches	India won	New Zealand won	Draws	Series won by
1967-68	4	3	1		India
1975-76	3	1	1	1	Drawn
1980-81	3		1	2	New Zealand
1989-90	3		1	2	New Zealand
1993-94	1				Drawn
1998-99	2		1	1	New Zealand
2002-03	2		2		New Zealand
2008-09	3	1		2	India
2013-14	2		1	1	New Zealand
2019-20	2		2		New Zealand

 

India’s Test results in SENA countries

Country	Matches	India won	Opposition won	Draws	Win percentage	First played in
South Africa	20	3	10	7	15.00	1992-93
England	62	7	34	21	11.29	1932
New Zealand	25	5	10	10	20.00	1967-68
Australia	48	7	29	12	14.58	1947-48
Total	155	22	83	50	14.19	1932
In India	272	106	52	114#	38.97	1933-34
Elsewhere##	115	29	32	54	25.22	1952-53

# includes a tied Test; ## in West Indies, Zimbabwe, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh

85

The number of grounds where India has played Test matches. The recent Hagley Oval match at Christchurch became India’s latest playing venue since its first ever Test appearance at Lord’s in London way back in June 1932. The Hagley Oval now is the 58th ground to host the Indians in away Tests. For the record, Lord’s, with 18, has hosted the most Tests of any away ground for India, while London as a city has hosted India on most occasions – 31 Tests (18 at Lord’s and 13 at the Oval). The Hagley Oval, meanwhile, becomes the seventh ground in New Zealand to host a Test match against India, while Christchurch is the only city in New Zealand to have the distinction of hosting a Test against India at two different grounds.

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New Zealand grounds to host Tests against India

Ground	Matches	India won	New Zealand won	Draws	Win percentage
Basin Reserve, Wellington	8	1	5	2	12.50
Eden Park, Auckland	5	2	1	2	40.00
Jade Stadium, Christchurch	4		2	2	0.00
Seddon Park, Hamilton	4	1	1	2	25.00
McLean Park, Napier	2			2	0.00
Carisbrook, Dunedin	1	1			100.00
Hagley Oval, Christchurch	1		1		0.00
Total	25	5	10	10	20.00

Note: India’s five-wicket victory at Carisbrook on February 20, 1968, was its first ever Test win on foreign soil.

2

The number of Indians who have managed score a 50 in New Zealand under the age of 21 years. At 20 years, 112 days, Prithvi Shaw’s 54 on the opening day of second Test match at Christchurch made him the second youngest Indian batsman to register a Test fifty on New Zealand soil, after Sachin Tendulkar who was 16 years, 293 days when he made his 88 at Napier in February 1990. Incidentally, Tendulkar still remains the youngest ever batsmen to register a Test 50 on New Zealand soil.

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Youngest Indians to made a Test 50 in New Zealand

Age	Batsman	Score	Venue	Month/year
16 years, 293 days	Sachin Tendulkar	88	Napier	February 1990
20 years, 112 days	Prithvi Shaw	54	Christshurch (Hagley Oval)	February 2020
21 years, 338 days	Atul Wasan	53	Auckland	February 1990
23 years, 81 days	Brijesh Patel	81	Wellington	February 1976
24 years, 189 days	Sandeep Patil	64	Wellington	February 1981

 

6

The number of openers below the age of 21 years who have managed to score a Test 50 in New Zealand. Prithvi Shaw’s 54 at Christchurch makes him the fourth youngest to do so.

Youngest openers to make a Test 50 in New Zealand

Age	Batsman	Score	Country	Venue	Month/year
18 years, 290 days	Tamim Iqbal	53	Bangladesh	Dunedin (University Oval)	January 2008
18 years, 294 days	Imran Farhat	63	Pakistan	Auckland	March 2001
20 years, 67 days	Junaid Siddique	74	Bangladesh	Dunedin (University Oval)	January 2008
20 years, 112 days	Prithvi Shaw	54	India	Christchurch (Hagley Oval)	February 2020
20 years, 268 days	Abdul Kadir	58	Pakistan	Auckland	February 1965
20 years, 353 days	Sami Aslam	91	Pakistan	Hamilton	November 2016

 

4

The number of Indians openers under the age of 21 years to register a 50 in an away Test match. Prithvi Shaw at Christchurch became the latest to do so.

Youngest Indian openers to make a 50 in an away Test match

Age	Batsman	Score	Opponent	Venue	Month/year
19 years, 36 days	Parthiv Patel	69	Pakistan	Rawalpindi	April 2004
20 years, 44 days	Ravi Shastri	66	England	The Oval	July 1982
20 years, 108 days	Madhav Apte	64	West Indies	Port of Spain	January 1953
20 years, 112 days	Prithvi Shaw	54	New Zealand	Christchurch (Hagley Oval)	February 2020
21 years, 183 days	Abhinav Mukund	62	Wellington	Roseau	July 2011

Note: Apte and Shaw are the only players to do so on the opening day of a Test match, while Apte was on his Test debut!

9.50

Virat Kohli’s batting average during the recent Test series in New Zealand. It was his second worst series batting performance of his Test career. It was also one of the worst performances by an Indian batsman-captain in a Test series.

Kohli’s lowest Test averages in a series of two or more Tests

Average	Opponent	In	Season	Matches	Innings	Runs	Highest score
9.20	Australia	India	2016-17	3	5	46	15
9.50	New Zealand	New Zealand	2019-20	2	4	38	19
13.40	England	England	2014	5	10	134	39
15.20	West Indies	West Indies	2011	3	5	76	30

Note: He wasn’t the captain in the series in 2011 in the West Indies.

Fewest runs in a Test series by a top-order batsman-captain for India (minimum four innings)

Runs	Captain	Opponent	In	Season	Matches	Innings	Average	Highest score
26	Nari Contractor	West Indies	West Indies	1961-62	2	4	6.50	10
29	Sourav Ganguly	New Zealand	New Zealand	2002-03	2	4	7.25	17
33	Maharajkumar of Vizianagram	England	England	1936	3	6	8.25	19*
38	Virat Kohli	New Zealand	New Zealand	2019-20	2	4	9.50	19
42	Mohammad Azharuddin	England	England	1996	3	5	8.40	16

 

Queries Corner In the Pallekele Twenty20 International, West Indian pacer Oshane Thomas claimed the first five Sri Lankan wickets. Has any other bowler done this before? – Ajit Swamy, Madurai. Oshane Thomas (5/28) in fact emulated Lasith Malinga (5/6), who had claimed the first five New Zealand wickets in September also at Pallekele. Incidentally, Malinga’s effort included four wickets in four balls! South African debutant Kyle Verreynne claimed three catches as a fielder in the One-Day International against Australia at Paarl. Has any other debutant held more? – Salil Joshi, Mumbai. In fact, three catches by a debutant fieldsman is the maximum in ODI cricket. Verreynne became the seventh such fieldsman to do so in an ODI match on debut. The others are Bishan Singh Bedi, Martin Crowe, L. Sivaramakrishnan, Jacob Martin, Pragyan Ojha and George Bailey. For the record, Scotland’s Matthew Cross, claimed six catches on his ODI debut against Canada at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch in January 2014, which is the most by a debutant wicketkeeper. How often has Bengal finished as runner-up in the Ranji Trophy. Is it true that it has a very poor record in Ranji finals? – Aveek Mukhopadhyay, Kolkata. The recent loss (on the first innings lead) to Saurashtra was Bengal’s 12th from 14 finals. It has managed to win the title only in 1938-39 and 1989-90. Its 12 runner-up finishes is the most by any Ranji Trophy side. Tamil Nadu has been runner-up on 10 occasions (thrice as Madras and seven as Tamil Nadu). This means Bengal has now lost 86 percent of the finals it has played, ahead of Tamil Nadu on 83 percent.

 

All figures are updated as of March 14, 2020.