Harbhajan strikes maiden century as first Test ends in draw

Published>Mon, Nov 08 10 08:27 PM

Ahmedabad, Nov 8 (IANS) Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh struck his first Test hundred as India salvaged a draw against New Zealand on the fifth and final day of the first cricket Test here Monday.

The other highlights:

With drawn Ahmedabad Test, the New Zealanders are without a win in India in 22 years. Their last win on Inian soil was by 136 runs at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai in 1988-89.

New Zealand's last win on foreign soil, excluding Zimbabwe and Bangladesh, was by 204 runs against West Indies at Bridgetown in 2002.

Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni is still recording a success of 63.15 - 12 wins, two defeats and five drawn matches out of 19 played.

Harbhajan Singh took 88 Tests to register his first Test hundred. Only Anil Kumble (118) and Chaminda Vaas (97) had taken more Tests to post their first hundred.

Interestingly, Harbhajan's hundred is the 100th in the second innings for India in Tests.

Harbhajan's match aggregate of 184 (69 + 115) is his highest ever. In fact, the said tally is the highest by a number eight batsman for India.

VVS Laxman and Harbhajan Singh shared a seventh-wicket stand of 163 - India's best against New Zealand, eclipsing the 128 between Sachin Tendulkar and Kiran More at Napier in 1989-90.

The aforesaid partnership is India's fifth best on Indian soil for the seventh wicket. The said stand is the highest for the seventh wicket at Motera, surpassing the 154 between Imran Khan and Ijaz Faqih for Pakistan against India in 1986-87.

Harbhajan Singh has recorded two fifty-plus innings in a Test match for the first time.

Harbhajan is only the second number eight batsman in Test annals to record a fifty and a hundred in a Test match. Eric Dalton (South Africa) - 117 and 57* against England at The Oval in 1935 - was the first to perform the feat.

Harbhajan Singh received his first Man of the Match award against New Zealand - his sixth in Test Cricket.

Zaheer Khan posted his fourth duck against New Zealand, his 20th duck in Tests, emulating Bishan Singh Bedi's tally of 20 ducks. Bhagwat Chandrasekhar holds an Indian record - 23 Test ducks.

Laxman's 47th Test half-century is his fifth against New Zealand.

Laxman has recorded 22 half-centuries in India and 25 away from home.

Laxman has averaged 88.00 this year - his career-best performance in a calendar year - 704 in seven Tests.

Laxman, in the team's second innings, averaged fifty-plus (51.17), aggregating 2968, including five hundreds and 18 fifties, in 75 innings. Only Sunil Gavaskar has a better average than Laxman - 51.46.

Don Bradman (104.50) holds a world record. He is the only one to average 100 or more in a team's second innings.

Harbhajan Singh (115) batted superbly to post his maiden hundred in Tests/First-class cricket.

Tim McIntosh has posted a PAIR in Tests. His third duck against India is his fifth in Tests.

McIntosh is the first New Zealand opener to register a PAIR against India. Overall, he is the seventh to record the unwanted feat, joining John Wright, B.R. Hartland, Roger Twose, Bruce Edgar, T.W. Jarvis and Ken Rutherford.

McIntosh is now the sixth batsman to post a PAIR for New Zealand against India, joining A.R. MacGibbon, G.B. Troup, C.M. Kuggeleijn, M.C. Snedden and P.J. Wiseman (twice).

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