Cricket is hailed as the unofficial national game in India, so much so that the lives of the general public almost stall when there is a high-profile India game. A religion, an obsession and alomst a way of life in India, India’s undeniable love for the Gentleman’s game has taken Cricket into unassailable popularity in the country. SPORTZWIKI takes a look at 24 amazing facts about Indian cricket in a two-part series.
1. Out of the 2086 cricketers that have represented their countries in ODIs till date, 2073 of them have not even managed to accumulate half of Sachin Tendulkar’s ODI runs in their individual ODI career. That is almost 99.37% cricketers worldwide. That is a STUNNING fact if ever there was one.
2. Up until the year 2013, the Indian cricket team has played 812 ODIs, out of which Sachin has been the part of the playing 11 in a staggering 463 ODIs. Do the math. That’s more than half of the ODIs India has played in total.
3. The Indian team was the first cricket team to be dismissed twice in a single day of a test match – 58 in the 1st innings and 82 in the 2nd innings against England in 1952. The only other team to hold this unwanted feat is Zimbabwe who have been dismissed twice on the same day on two occasions – against New Zealand in 2005 as well as in 2011.
4. Sir Don Bradman is widely hailed as the greatest ever batsman ever to play the game. But did you know that our very own Lala Amarnath was the first bowler to get Don Bradman out hit wicket!
5. Bhausahib Nimbalkar of India was batting on 443 not out, just 9 runs adrift of the then world record 452 not out held by Don Bradman. He was however unable to break Sir Don’s record because the opposition skipper Pradyumansinhji Lakhajirajsinhji conceded the match with teh batting side on 826 for 4. Bradman however sent a personal note to Nimbalkar acknowledging that his innings was better than Bradman’s own. Class act we say!
6. Only 5 Indian batsmen – Gundappa Vishwanath, Mohammed Azharuddin, Saurav Ganguly, Virender Sehwag and Shikhar Dhawan have notched uo test centuries on debut for India, and then gone on to score centuries again in their careers! Shikhar though holds the record for the fastest century on debut.
7. MS Dhoni holds the world record for the highest dismissals by a wicket keeper in an ODI – 6 v/s England at Leeds in 2007. Dhoni’s 183 not out against Sri Lankan team has also never been matched by any other wicket keeper in ODIs.
8. Mohammed Azharuddin is the only Indian batsman to have scored three centuries in his first three test matches. Top top player!
9. The best ever test bowling figures on debut is held by Narendra Hirwani of India. He scalped 16 wickets on debut and ended on 16 for 136 versus the West Indies. Hirwani smashed Bob Massie’s record of 16 for 137.
10. Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi became the youngest ever test captain at the tender age of 21. This record was only surpassed by Zimbabwean captain Tatenda Taibu in 2004.
11. India played its first test match way back in 1932, but only achieved its first win 19 years & 230 days later in 1951-1952 v/s England in Madras.
12. Anil Kumble, in 1999, became the first man since Englishman Jim Laker to scalp 10 wickets in a test innings with his 10-wicket haul against Pakistan at the Kotla.
