Statistical Highlights
From Mohandas Menon, Bloemfontein
Statistical highlights for the first Test (1st day)
** Virender Sehwag and Deep Dasgupta became the 238th and 239th players to
appear for India in Tests.
** Rahul Dravid was opening the Indian batting for the fifth time in four
matches in Tests and on all occasions it was against South Africa - at
Calcutta (31 & 23; in November 1996), at Cape Town (2; in January 1997) and
at Bangalore (17 & 18; in March 2000).
** Sourav Ganguly (14, on 3) became the 14th Indian batsman and the 114th
batsman in Tests to reach the milestone of 3000 runs. He was appearing in
his 47th match and 80th innings of his career.
** Sachin Tendulkar (155, on 81) became the second Indian after Sunil
Gavaskar (10122 runs) and the 21st batsman in Test cricket history to reach
the landmark of 7000 runs. He was appearing in his 85th Test match and 136th
innings of his career. During his innings he went past the aggregate of
England's Sir Len Hutton (6971, 79 matches and 138 innings) and Australia's
Sir Don Bradman (6996, 52 matches and 80 innings). He now has 7074 runs (avg
57.98).
** Tendulkar's batting average of 57.98 was an all-time best among batsman
with over 5000 Test runs. Only Bradman (6996, 99.94), Englaand's Ken
Barrington (6806, 58.67) and Englishman Walter Hammond (7249, 58.46) have a
higher batting average than Tendulkar at this stage of his career.
** The 220 run partnership for the fifth wicket between Tendulkar and
debutant Virender Sehwag bettered the following landmarks.
* on 73, the pair bettered the previous best for the fifth wicket at this
ground, which was the 72 put on by New Zealand's Stephen Fleming and Craig
McMillan on November 2000.
* on 88, the pair bettered the previous best of the fifth wicket for India
against South Acfrica, which was the 87 put on by Mohammad Azharuddin and
Pravin Amre at Durban in November 1992.
* on 116, the pair bettered the previous best for any wicket at this ground,
which was the 115 for the fourth wicket put on by South Africans Jacques
Kallis and Neil McKenzie against New Zealand on November 2000.
* on 205, the pair bettered India's previous best for the fifth wicket in an
away Test match, which was the 204 runs put on by Gavaskar and Brijesh Patel
against the West Indies at Port of Spain in March 1976.
** The partnership was India's second best for the fifth wicket. The best
still remains as the famous 376 runs put on by VVS Laxman and Dravid against
Australia at Calcutta earlier this year in March.
** The pair just failed to better India's best partnership for any wicket
against South Acfrica which still remains as the 222 runs for the sixth
wicket between Tendulkar and Azharuddin at Cape Town in January 1997.
** Tendulkar's 155 was his 26th Test hundred and his 49th of his first-class
career in 172 matches.
** Virender Sehwag (105) became the eighth Indian batsman and 48th batsman
to register a debut hundred in their very first Test innings. The last
Indian before Sehwag to achieve this feat was Ganguly, when he scored 131
against England at Lord's in June 1996. Incidentally, Sehwag became the only
fifth batsman to record a first-innings debut hundred against South Africa.
England's Peter May, India's Pravin Amre and Pakistanis Ali Naqvi and Azhar
Mohmood are the others to acheive this feat against South Africa.
India's tour of South Africa: Complete coverage