Australia vs India 2018-19: Five records that were created by the Indians in the Test series

After 71 years of long wait, India have finally found a way to win a Test series on Australian soil and thus becoming the first Asian side to do so. This is a huge feather in Virat Kohli’s cap and one of the glorious moments in Indian cricket history which has to be cherished forever.

The series scoreline might read 2-1, but India will consider themselves unlucky for not making it 3-1 after being in a dominant position due to poor weather conditions which played spoilsport in days 4 and 5. India outplayed the hosts in all the departments of the game and lived up to the reputation of being the no.1 Test team in the world.

Obviously, winning a series down under for the first time means there will be so many records created and broken. Let’s have a detailed look at some of them.

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Most balls by a visiting batsman in a Test series in Australia (Max. four Tests): Cheteshwar Pujara

The more balls faced by Pujara, the better it’s for the batsman that follows him. Pujara plays a vital role in blunting the new ball and making the bowling attacks tired which makes batting easy for the rest of the batsman. Not only he makes batting easy for others, but he ensures that once he gets settled at the crease he makes it count by scoring daddy hundreds.

Cheteshwar Pujara currently holds the record of facing most balls (1258) by a visiting batsman in a four-match Test series in Australia, going past Herbert Sutcliffe (1237). Among Asian batsman, it was Rahul Dravid who held the record of facing most balls (1203) in the 2003/04 season which was broken by the current Indian no.3 batsman in the recently concluded Test series.

The 30-year-old accumulated 521 runs at an impressive average of 74.42 in the series making him the third in the list of scoring most runs in a Test series by an Asian batsman behind Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara.

Indian pace trio’s record scalp in a calendar year

Ishant Sharma

Yes, India has always produced quality batsman who succeeds in Foreign conditions, but when India is going to produce quality fast bowlers? This has always been the question for several years and it has been answered in some style.

During this overseas leg, India was consistent in one aspect of the game and that is the bowling which would’ve caught many by surprise. The bowlers dictated terms on a consistent basis and were able to put relentless pressure on the batsman. Bharat Arun, the bowling coach of Indian cricket team deserves a lot of credit for moulding the Indian pace battery.

The Indian pace trio took 134 wickets in 2018 (Ishant 40, Bumrah 48, Shami 46) thereby eclipsing the 34-year-old record of West Indies trio comprising of Marshall, Holding, and Garner who took 130 wickets in the year 1984. To go past the mighty West Indian bowling attack is no mean feat and this Indian bowling unit should feel proud of themselves.

Third most Test wickets in a debut calendar Year: Jasprit Bumrah

Jasprit Bumrah

It’s mind-boggling to think of the fact that Jasprit Bumrah made his debut three years ago and has mastered the art of fast bowling across every format in such quick time. Indian cricket has certainly been blessed with the arrival of Jasprit Bumrah.

While Bumrah has been a proven success in the limited overs of the game, lots of questions were raised whether he can succeed in the longer format of the game when he made his debut in South Africa last year. But, boy he has answered them in some fashion.

The biggest asset to Bumrah’s bowling is his awkward action which makes the batsman play at balls which could’ve been left. And to make it even more vulnerable he can move the ball both ways which make it even more confusing for the batsman.

Bumrah broke into the record books by becoming the third highest wicket-taker in a debut calendar year. He has 48 scalps to his name in the year 2018 only behind Curtly Ambrose (49 wickets in 1988) and Alderman (54 in 1981).

Kohli became the first Asian captain to win a Test series in Australia

Virat Kohli

Over the years, many Asian sides have found it difficult to win a Test match in Australia, let alone win a series. Batsman getting adjusted to the high bouncing surfaces from low bouncing ones and bowlers hitting the right length to extract the most out of the pitch has always been challenging and it’s only fair to say that the current Indian team under Virat Kohli has fulfilled this objective.

After coping some serious criticism for losing the series in South Africa and England, the fortunes have changed for the Indian skipper in Australia. Virat sorted out his selection blunders and found the right balance to take on the Aussies and was immensely successful at it. Not only they defeated Australia, but they also demoralized them particularly at Melbourne and Sydney which is a rarity for an Asian side when you tour Australia.

It took 31 series, 98 Test matches, and 29 captains, and in the end, Kohli entered the record books by becoming the first ever Asian captain to clinch a Test series in Australian soil.

First Asian wicketkeeper to score a Test century in Australia: Rishabh Pant

Rishabh Pant

After the arrival of young Rishabh Pant, the Indian team has certainly become more vibrant. Though the wicketkeeper-batsman struggled with his wicketkeeping skills in England with the ball wobbling around, he made a fine impression by scoring a fighting century at the Oval in a losing cause. The 21-year-old has got only better since then and had a successful tour of Australia with both gloves and bat.

With the bat, he was consistent throughout the series and amassed 350 runs at an average of 58.33 and with the gloves he holds the record of most dismissals in a calendar year along with Brad Haddin (42).

Rishabh Pant also has another record to his name by becoming the first Asian keeper to score a Test century in Australian soil. His unbeaten knock of 159 at Syndey put India in a dominating position, but unfortunately, it couldn’t produce a result due to bad weather.