India vs NZ: Top plays from day four of second Test

Sport360 staff 18:05 03/10/2016
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Mail
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • WhatsApp
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Virat Kohli and the Indian team celebrate after defeating New Zealand

    INDIA – NUMBER ONE

    India have become the number one side in the world in Test cricket, yet again, after defeating New Zealand by 178 runs at Eden Gardens, Kolkata.

    The Indian team had lost the top spot to rivals Pakistan after the washed out Test against West Indies at Port of Spain in August.

    India now have a good chance of holding on to the number one ranking for a while as they just need to avoid defeat in the third Test against New Zealand at Indore to go out of reach of Pakistan ahead of the Men in Green’s series against the West Indies in the UAE.

    If India win the series against the Blackcaps with a 2-0 or 3-0 margin, then Pakistan can’t go top with any result against West Indies. If India lose the Indore Test, though, Pakistan can reclaim the number one spot with a 3-0 win over the Caribbean side.

    SAHA COMES GOOD AGAIN

    Wriddhiman Saha is becoming a vital member of Virat Kohli’s army; just as he did in the first innings, Saha’s contribution with the bat in the second played a big part in batting New Zealand out of the match.

    The West Bengal wicket-keeper was named the Man of the Match for his unbeaten half-centuries in both innings. His 58* in India’s second innings follows scores of 40, 47, 104, 14, 0, 54* for him in 2016, a year in which he averages 63.40.

    Saha’s work behind the stumps was also very impressive during the match, with captain Kohli calling him “the best wicket keeper in India” after the game.

    MOST LBWs IN A TEST IN INDIA

    The Eden Gardens Test was the 250th Test on Indian soil and it created a new record by having the most of leg-before-wicket (LBW) dismissals in a Test in India ever.

    There were a total of 15 LBWs in this Test, beating the previous record of 13 in the 1996 Test between India and South Africa at Ahmedabad.

    The record for the most LBWs in a match is still in tact – West Indies vs Pakistan at Providence in 2011 saw 20 batsmen dismissed leg-before-wicket.

    With 26 LBWs, this series already holds the record for the most number of LBWs in a three-Test series in India, with one Test still left.

    KOHLI’S UNBEATEN RUN CONTINUES

    Into his fifth full series as the captain of the Indian Test team, Virat Kohli still hasn’t lost a single Test series. Out of the five series, India have now won four and drawn one.

    The drawn series came in the one-off Test against Bangladesh in June 2015, a Test in which a result wasn’t possible due to rain. Since then, Kohli’s India have beaten Sri Lanka (away), South Africa (home), West Indies (away) and New Zealand (home).

    Kohli and India are also unbeaten in 12 consecutive Tests, closing in on Sunil Gavaskar’s Indian record of 18 straight Tests unbeaten as captain.

    Recommended