India completed a whitewash in the 3-match Test series against New Zealand on the day 4 of the 3^rd Test at Holkar Cricket Stadium (Indore). At the beginning of day 4, India came to bat on their overnight score of 18/0 and made 216/3 before declaring their 2^nd innings. India put on a 475-run target to win for New Zealand.

In reply, New Zealand were bowled out for just 153 runs as India clinched victory in this Test by 321 runs. With this victory, India completed whitewash in the 3-match Test series as clinched the Test series by 3-0

Brief Scores: India – 557/5 decl. (Virat Kohli 211, Ajinkya Rahane 188, Trent Boult 2/113) & 216/3 decl. (Cheteshwar Pujara 101*, Gautam Gambhir 50, Jeetan Patel 2/56)

New Zealand – 299 (Martin Guptill 72, James Neesham 71, Ravichandran Ashwin 6/81) & 153 (Ross Taylor 32, Martin Guptill 29, Ravichandran Ashwin 7/ 59)

Result – India won by 321 runs.

Here are some statistical highlights of day 4 of the 3^rd Test:

After scoring a great double-century (211) in the 1^st innings, Indian Test skipper Virat Kohli scored 17 runs in the second innings. Scoring total 228-runs on aggregate of this Test match, Kohli became the 5^th highest aggregate scorer in a Test match as an Indian captain.

India scored a total of 773 runs (557/5 decl. in the 1^st innings and 216/3 decl. in the 2^nd innings) on aggregate in this Test match. It was India’s highest Test score on aggregate against New Zealand on Indian soil. The previous best was 753 (487 in the 1^st innings and 266 in the 2^nd innings) at Ahmedabad in 2010.

Also, this 773-runs is India’s third highest Test score on aggregate against New Zealand in overall venue. The two top highest aggregate Test score for India against New Zealand were: 813 (379 in the 1^st innings and 434/7 decl. in the 2^nd innings) at Wellington in 2009 and 781 (305 in the 1^st innings and 476/4 in the 2^nd innings) at Napier in 2009.

A total 8 Indian wickets (5 wickets in the 1^st innings and 3 wickets in the second innings) fell in this Test match. It was the India’s lowest no.of wickets fallen on aggregate against New Zealand in a Test match.

New Zealand left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner conceded total 208 runs (1/137 in the 1^st innings and 0/71 in the 2^nd innings) in this Test match. He becomes the 3^rd most expensive bowler in a Test match for New Zealand against India.

Former New Zealand spinner Daniel Vettori holds the top 2 most runs conceded bowling records in a Test match for New Zealand against India and those are 223 (4/200 in the 1^st innings and 0/23 in the 2^nd innings) at Ahmedabad in 1999 and 209 (2/128 in the 1^st innings and 1/81 in the 2^nd innings) at Ahmedabad in 2003.

India put 475 run target to win the match for New Zealand in the 4^th innings. In the Test history, it was the highest target set by Indian team to win for New Zealand in India. The previous highest target set by Indian team for New Zealand in India was for 434 runs at Kanpur in the 1^st Test of this series.

Overall, it (475-runs target) was the 2^nd highest target put by Indian team to win for New Zealand in Test history. The highest target had set by Indian team for New Zealand in Test cricket is 617 runs at Wellington in 2009.

On the 4^th day, Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin completed his 6^th 10-wicket haul in his Test career. Ashwin is 2^nd on the list of bowlers with most 10-wicket haul for India in Test cricket history. Also alongside this, Ashwin also became the 2^nd most no. of 10-wicket haul bowler in Test (5 times) on the Indian soil. In the both cases, former Indian leg-spinner Anil Kumble is leading the table. Kumble had claimed 8 times 10-wicket haul in his Test career out of which 7 were in India.

In this Test series, Ashwin registered 10-wicket haul twice. Ashwin became the second Indian bowler to take a 10-wicket haul for more than once in a Test series. Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh was the first Indian bowler to achieve this feat in 2001 home Test series against Australia, where he had taken a 10-wicket haul twice.

Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin also bowled an impressive spell in the New Zealand’s 2^nd innings. At the end of the New Zealand’s 2^nd innings, Ashwin’s bowling figure was 13.5-2-59-7. It was the 3^rd best bowling figure in a Test innings by an Indian bowler against New Zealand. The top two best bowling figures in a Test innings by Indian bowlers against New Zealand were: 8/72 by Srinivas Venkataraghavan (at Delhi in 1965) and 8/76 by Erapalli Prasanna (at Auckland in 1976).

Also, Ashwin’s final bowling figures in this Test match was 41.1-7-140-13 (27.2-5-81-6 in the 1^st innings and 13.5-2-59-7 in the 2^nd innings). It was the best bowling figure in a Test match by an Indian bowler against New Zealand. The previous best bowling figure was also held by Ravichandran Ashwin and that was 43.2-14-85-12 at Hyderabad (Deccan) in 2012.

A total of 6 New Zealand batsmen scored duck in this Test match. It was the 2^nd highest total no. of ducks by New Zealand against India in Test history. The highest total no.of duck by New Zealand against India in Test history was 7 at Hyderabad (Deccan) in 1988.

India won this Test match by 321 runs. It was India’s 2^nd largest Test victory (by runs). India’s largest Test victory was by 337 runs against South Africa at Delhi in 2015.

10. Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin was awarded Man of the Match and Man of the Series for his outstanding performances. It was Ashwin’s 7^th Man of the Match and 7^th Man of the Series award in his Test career. Also this Man of the Series was Ashwin’s 5^thTest Man of the Series in India which is the most by any cricketer in India. With this 5^th Test Man of the Series in India, Ashwin surpassed former Indian leg-spinner Anil Kumble (4 Man of the Series in India) and Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh (4 Man of the Series in India).