Hardly anyone would have thought that the Kanpur Test, which was headed for a draw after two and a half days of rain, would suddenly turn into a thrilling match and the chances of a win – even a win for Team India. On the fourth day of this match between India and Bangladesh, Team India presented a display of aggressive cricket, which was never seen before in the 147-year history of Test cricket. After dismissing Bangladesh for 233 runs, Team India declared their innings at 285 runs in less than 2 sessions and then took 2 wickets of Bangladesh in the second innings to raise hopes of a clear result in the match.
On Monday, 30 September, a full day’s play was possible for the first time in this Test match. Team India first took the remaining 7 wickets in Bangladesh’s first innings. Meanwhile, Mominul Haque scored a brilliant century. After this, Team India batted in parts of the second and third session and declared the innings after scoring 285 runs. In this way he got a lead of 52 runs. Bangladesh had scored 26 runs till stumps and still trailed by 26 runs. On Monday, team India pulled off some amazing feats for the first time in the history of Test cricket on the back of this indiscriminate batting.
Team India’s 9 explosive records
- Yashshwi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma got off to an explosive start and took Team India to a 50-run lead in 2.6 or exactly 3 overs. This is the fastest 50 by any team in the 147-year history of Test cricket.
- Rohit got his chance to bat for the first time in the second over and hit consecutive sixes off Khaled Ahmed’s first and second balls. Thus, he became the first opener in Test cricket to hit 2 sixes in the first 2 balls of his innings.
- Team India then completed their innings 100 runs in 10.1 overs and this also became the record for the fastest 100 runs in any innings in Test cricket.
- Team India thus continued their onslaught and then set the record for the fastest 150 in Test history in 18.2 overs.
- After an explosive start by Rohit-Jaiswal and Gill, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul picked up the pace and took the team past the 200-run mark in 24.2 overs.
- Similarly, India now hold the record for the fastest 250 in a Test, which was completed in 30.1 overs.
- Overall, the Indian team batted at 8.22 runs per over in this innings, the fastest run rate in an innings of over 200 runs in the history of Test cricket.
- Team India declared the innings in just 34.4 overs, which is the record for declaring the first innings in the shortest overs in the 70-year history. Earlier in 2000, in the rain-affected Centurion Test, England and South Africa each declared an innings without playing, but that Test later proved to be part of Hansie Cronje’s match-fixing scandal.
- The Indian team hit 11 sixes in this innings and thus set the record for most sixes in Test cricket in a calendar year. India have hit 96 sixes in just 8 Tests this year, breaking England’s record (89).