India vs New Zealand, 1st Test Day 4 Stats Review: Shreyas Iyer's dream debut continues, R Ashwin's feat and other stats

Debutant Shreyas Iyer shone again as he smashed a back-to-back 50 plus score in his debut Test. He became the first Indian to score a century and a fifty on Test debut. Iyer (170) now holds the record of scoring third-most runs by an Indian on Test debut. Shikhar Dhawan (187) and Rohit Sharma (177) occupy the first two spot. Earlier on Day 2 morning, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane’s poor run in 2021 continued as the former, who got out for 22, has now gone 39 innings without a ton in the longest format. Rahane who scored just four runs has scored just two half-centuries in 29 innings since 2020.

Both Pujara and Rahane, India’s experienced pair in Tests, have been struggling for form this year and there has been constant criticism for both of them since India’s tour of England in August this year. With Iyer putting up a batting exhibition on Test debut, it would be interesting to see what the team management decides ahead of the Mumbai Test. Wriddhiman Saha, who suffered a neck injury in this Test, scored a well-measured fifty which was his first since 2017. Saha (61*) was well supported by Axar Patel who also remained not out on 28 before Ajinkya Rahane decided to declare the innings and gave Kiwis a stiff target of 284.

The impressive Will Young, who struck a fifty in the first innings, got out LBW to R Ashwin, after replays showing the wickets were missing the leg stump but Young was too late to take the review. With that wicket, R Ashwin equaled Harbhajan Singh’s tally of 417 Test wickets. The likes of Tom Latham, Kane Williamson, and Ross Taylor have quite a difficult task ahead of them on Day 5 as they would at least like to get a draw here if not winning it and taking the series to the final match in Mumbai starting December 3.

Meanwhile, here are the important stats and numbers from India vs New Zealand, first Test Day 1:

19.57 – Ajinkya Rahane’s averages 19.51 in Test matches in 2021. This is his lowest average in a calendar year since making debut back in 2013.

3 – Ajinkya Rahane is also third in the list for worst average (19.57) by a batter playing minimum 20 innings at position one-seventh in Tests in a calendar year.

1 – Shreyas Iyer became the first Indian batter to score a hundred and a fifty on Test debut.

3 – Iyer (170) now holds the record of scoring third-most runs by an Indian on Test debut. Shikhar Dhawan (187) and Rohit Sharma (177) occupy the first two spot.

52 – Tim Southee completed 50 wickets against India in Tests. Southee (52) became the second New Zealand bowler after Sir Richard Hadlee, who had taken 65 scalps against team India, to get the feat.

39 – Cheteshwar Pujara has gone 39 innings without a ton in Tests now. His last one came against Australia in Australia in 2019.

3 – Ajinkya Rahane has scored just three 50 plus scores in 29 innings in Tests since 2020.

52 – Tim Southee has taken 52 Test wickets against India. England (57) and Sri Lanka (53) are the other sides against whom Southee has taken over 50 Test wickets.

2017 – First fifty for Wriddhiman Saha in Tests since the year 2017.

417 – R Ashwin equaled Harbhajan Singh’s record of 417 Test scalps, becoming India’s joint-highest wicket-taker in the longest format.

20 – Ajinkya Rahane has gotten out 20 out of 28 times against spinners in India since 2017.

27.40 – Ajinkya Rahane’s averages 27.40 against spinners at home since 2017. His average is the lowest among all other Indian batters.

2 – Only twice teams have won chasing a target of over 200 against India in India. West Indies chased down 276 in 1987 and England achieved 208 in 1972.

56 – R Ashwin has now taken 56 wickets against New Zealand in Tests. Only Bishan Singh Bedi (57) is ahead of him among Indians.