India were blown away by the pair of Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, getting bowled out for 36 in Adelaide – their lowest ever Test total – and broke quite a few records with it, including some really quite long-standing ones.
The visitors were on top having restricted Australia to 191 in the first innings and went into the third day with a lead of 62 runs, hoping to extend that to a big enough total to start the four-Test series with a win. But they never quite got going from the start of day’s play, falling like ninepins.
After losing Cheteshwar Pujara, Mayank Agarwal, Ajinkya Rahane, captain Virat Kohli took a counter-attacking approach, only to gift his wicket to the Australians who had already taken a foothold in the match after being on the back foot. The Indian tail wasn’t allowed to wag and they were eventually bowled out for 36.
Below are the records that India broke during an extraordinary two-hour phase.
India’s lowest ever innings total
The first session of the third day’s play in Adelaide was arguably the worst ever in India’s Test history. They lost eight wickets for just 27 runs after starting off from their overnight score of 9-1 while Mohammad Shami was forced to retire hurt after a Cummins bouncer stuck him on his bowling arm. And with that their innings finished at 36-9 – their lowest ever Test total. The previous lowest was 42 against England at Lord’s in 1974.
Lowest total in an innings in 65 years
By getting bowled out for 36, Kohli’s side also achieved the unwanted record of the lowest men’s Test total for 65 years. New Zealand, in 1955, were bowled out for 26 against England in Auckland – the lowest ever innings total in Test cricket – and India’s 36 now becomes the lowest innings total since. India could have avoided getting their name under this record had they added three more runs as Ireland were bowled out for 38 by England in the one-off Test at Lord’s only last year.
Second ever instance of no double digits score in men’s Test cricket
None of the Indian batsmen managed to get to double digits, making it only the second instance in men’s Test cricket history that a team was bowled out without a single batsman managing to score more than nine runs. South Africa, in 1924, were the first side to have all of their batsmen score in single digits when they were bowled out for 30 runs by England in Edgbaston, with extras being the biggest contributors to their total – 11. Australia, however, were disciplined against India and didn’t bowl a single extra.
Lowest Test score for India at the loss of six wickets
After starting the day at 9-1, India lost five wickets for just 10 runs making it their lowest ever Test score for the loss of six wickets. Kohli, Pujara, Agarwal, Rahane – the core of Indian batting – along with Prithvi Shaw and Jasprit Bumrah were all back in the hut by then, leaving the rest of their line up with a mountain to climb. There have been seven instances of a side losing their first six wickets for fewer than 19 runs – Australia (four times), England (twice) and Sri Lanka (once).
Third shortest completed innings for India (by balls)
It took Australia just 128 deliveries to send all of the Indian batsmen back to the dressing room which made it India’s third shortest completed innings in terms of balls faced. India’s previous lowest Test score of 42 had taken 102 deliveries while the capitulation against South Africa in Ahmedabad in 2008 was completed in 120 balls when an Indian batting line up boasting the likes of Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Sourav Ganguly and MS Dhoni was bowled out for 76.
