FIRST TEST FOR HOLKAR STADIUM
The Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore became the 22nd cricket stadium in India to host a Test match on Saturday. It is also the first time that Test cricket has come to the most populous city in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.
The two dressing rooms at the stadium are named after former Indian captains MAK Pataudi and Rahul Dravid, both of whom who were born in Madhya Pradesh.
India have a 100% success rate at the stadium in ODIs, having won all four matches that they have played here.
The first ground to host a Test match in India was the Gymkhana Ground in Mumbai in 1933. The Eden Gardens in Kolkata has hosted the most Tests (40) in the country, including the second Test of the ongoing series.
KOHLI’S LUCK WITH THE TOSS CONTINUES
Under Virat Kohli’s captaincy, India have won five out of the six completed Tests in India. The one draw came against South Africa at Bengaluru where play was not possible on four days due to rain.
When it comes to the toss, though, Kohli has a perfect record. The Indore Test is the seventh Test he is captaining at home and he won the toss in all seven of those Test matches.
The probability of this happening is 1/128 which is less than 1% (0.78% to be precise).
Indian fans will be hoping that Kohli’s luck with the toss continues as pitches in India are very difficult to bat on as the match progesses.
GAMBHIR RETURNS
After a gap of just over two years, Gautam Gambhir made his return to the Indian team.
The 34-year-old started on a positive note, hitting a boundary off just the fourth delivery he faced. He continued batting in an attacking fashion, hitting Matt Henry for back-to-back sixes soon after.
Gambhir found it hard against Trent Boult, against whom he didn’t score in the first 13 deliveries he faced. Eventually, it was Boult who got the scalp of Gambhir, trapping the experienced batsman LBW for 29.
Gambhir will want to put in an improved performance in the second innings to prove that he deserves to be a part of India’s Test squad.
Batsmen hitting 2 sixes within first 5 overs of a Test (since 2002)
— Bharath Seervi (@SeerviBharath) October 8, 2016
Vaughan v NZ, Christchurch, 2002
Gayle v Ban, Dhaka, 2012
Gambhir today
RAHANE GETS TO 2000 TEST RUNS
Ajinkya Rahane became the 36th Indian cricketer to complete 2000 runs in Test cricket. Coming into bat just two runs short of the milestone, Rahane got there off the 16th delivery he faced.
Rahane ended the day on 79 and will want to score a big century here after missing out in the Kolkata Test where he fell for 77 in the first innings.
The Mumbai batsman, playing in his 29th Test, now has 2077 runs to his name at an average of 49.45.
The other batsmen in the current Indian line-up to have 2000+ runs to their names in Test cricket are Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Murali Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara.
RARE NO-BALL CALLED
In the 72th over of India’s innings, we saw something that rarely occurs in cricket. A no-ball was called because three New Zealand fielders were standing behind square on the leg-side.
According to law 41.5 in the MCC’s Laws of Cricket, “At the instant of the bowler’s delivery there shall not be more than two fielders, other than the wicket-keeper, behind the popping crease on the on side. A fielder will be considered to be behind the popping crease unless the whole of his person whether grounded or in the air is in front of this line. In the event of infringement of this Law by any fielder, the striker’s end umpire shall call and signal No ball.”
This rule was made in 1957 to limit dangerous bowling, a consequence of the Bodyline series which had happened 24 years before.
KOHLI’S CENTURY
Indian captain Virat Kohli completed his 13th Test century on Saturday. There were some concerns over his form after he failed to register a single 50-plus score since the first Test of the series against the West Indies.
Kohli, in the process, became the first batsman from either side to score a century in this Test series.
Interestingly, in the pre-match press conference, Kohli was asked why there wasn’t a century in the series so far, to which he nonchalantly said: “hota hai, cricket mein hota hai” (“this happens, this happens in cricket”).
This is Kohli’s 38th international century, which places him alongside Sourav Ganguly and Virender Sehwag as the batsmen with the third most international centuries for India. Only Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, with 100 and 48 international hundreds respectively, have more.
Kohli was unbeaten on 103 at the end of day’s play.
Virat Kohli's is the first hundred by an India captain in 14 Tests against NZ. Previous one was by Sourav Ganguly in 2003. #indvsnz
— Shiva J (@Shiva_cricinfo) October 8, 2016
