12 – Afghanistan will become the 12th Test nation after Ireland became the 11th in May.

3-0 – India lead the head-to-head against Afghanistan 3-0 having won the two T20s and one ODI between the two teams.

7.25 – India’s win-loss ratio at home in Test cricket since 2010; comfortably the best in the world.

0.82 – The win-loss ratio of teams who win the toss in India since 2000; the lowest of any host country: in recent years winning the toss is less significant in India than anywhere in the world.

5th – Since 2010 spinners average 25.01 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore – the fifth lowest spin bowling average at any venue to have hosted at least two Tests in that time.

22.18 – The spin bowling average in the first innings of the four Tests at the Chinnaswamy since 2010 – the third lowest in the world among venues to have hosted two Tests in this time; suggesting that the pitch is one that provides assistance to spinners from the start of the match.

18.23 – Afghanistan’s bowling average in the ICC Intercontinental Cup since the start of 2013 – the lowest of any team in the competition.

15.66 – The average of Afghanistan’s spin bowlers in the ICC Intercontinental Cup since 2013; significantly more than their pace bowlers who still average an impressive 20.36. Bowling certainly appears to be Afghanistan’s strength.

54.55 – Mohammad Shahzad’s first class batting average – the highest of any player in Afghanistan’s squad. Shahzad, Hashmatullah Shahidi and captain Asghar Stanikzai are Afghanistan’s three most experienced batsmen.

13.50 – Rashid Khan’s career bowling average against members of India’s squad. In T20 cricket he has bowled 88 balls to Dinesh Karthiik, Hardik Pandya, Ajinkya Rahane, Karun Nair, Ravindra Jadeja, KL Rahul and R Ashwin and has taken six wickets & conceded runs at an economy rate of 5.52 runs per over.

24.81 – Mohammad Shami’s bowling average in Tests in India since the start of 2013 – the lowest among all pace bowlers in that time. His absence from the Test is a blow to the home team.

9 – The number of opening pairs used by India since July 2016 – the most by any team. Injuries, form and illness have forced India into plenty of changes that have left them with three openers – Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul – competing for two spots.

86.00 – Vijay’s first class batting average at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium – the highest of all India’s players. Dhawan and Rahul also boast impressive averages at the venue.

14.28 – Cheteshwar Pujara’s batting average in eight innings in the County Championship for Yorkshire this season. Since then Pujara has found form playing in England’s domestic one day competition – the Royal London Cup, scoring 407 runs in seven innings at an average of 61.66.

23 – Wickets taken by Ishant Sharma in 9 matches for Sussex – five in the County Championship and four in the Royal London One Day Cup.