Ask Bharath #7

1. Hamilton Masakadza, Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja made their World Cup debuts in this World Cup after having played more than 100 ODIs in their career.  What is the record for most ODI's played before playing a world cup ODI? – Asked by Manish Achuth, India

Hamilton Masakadza played 144 ODIs before playing his first World Cup match against Zimbabwe on the second day of this World Cup. On the same day Rohit Sharma after playing 127 ODIs and Ravindra Jadeja after playing 111 ODIs played their first World Cup match against Pakistan. 144 matches by Masakadza is indeed the highest number of ODIs played by any player before playing his first World Cup ODI. The previous record was held by Shoaib Malik who appeared in 135 ODIs making his debut in World Cups. He made his debut in October 1999 but his first World Cup match came in 2007 in West Indies.

Hamilton Masakadza, Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja
©Getty Images ©Cricinfo

Irfan Pathan has played 120 ODIs and he is yet to play a single match in ODI World Cup. He may surpass Masakadza if he plays in 2019 World Cup with 25 ODIs in between these two World Cups.

2. South African batsmen added 96 runs in the last five overs against Zimbabwe in their first match in this World Cup. Is this the highest number of runs in last five over of an ODI inning? – Asked by @nareshwarnie, Twitter

David Miller and JP Duminy took South Africa from 243/4 to 339/4 in the last five overs. They scored 19 runs in 46^th over, 16 runs in 47^th, 30 runs in 48^th, 12 runs in 49^th and 19 in the 50^th over. 96 runs in last five overs of the inning are easily overshadowed by the New Zealand side against United States of America in ICC Champions Trophy of 2004. Nathan Astle and Craig McMillan smashed 110 runs in the last five overs. They scored 14 runs in 46^th over, 27 runs each in 47^th and 48^th over, 16 in the 49^th and 26 runs in the final over.

3. The top two individual scores in the match between Scotland and New Zealand were both from Scotland who were on losing side. When was the last time in an ODI that a team had top 2 run getters of the match but ended on the losing side? – Asked by Srinivas, India

Scotland team was bundled for 142 runs in 36.2 overs by Kiwi bowlers at Dunedin on February 17. Two batsmen from Scotland scored half-centuries – Matt Machan 56 and Richie Berrington 50. New Zealand chased the target in 24.5 overs with loss of seven wickets and their highest scorer was Kane Williamson with 38 runs. Hence, both the top two scores were by the losing team’s batsmen. Last time this happened was on December 26, 2013 between New Zealand and West Indies at Auckland. Brendon McCullum 51 and his brother Nathan McCullum 47 were the highest run scorers in the match that was won by West Indies whose highest scorer was Darren Sammy with 43 not out.

In World Cup 2011 between India and South Africa at Nagpur the highest scorers in the match were Sachin Tendulkar (111) and Virender Sehwag (73) for India but ended on the losing side. The third highest score was also from Indian team (Gambhir – 69) but shared with Jacques Kallis (also 69) from South Africa.

4. Is Denesh Ramdin's inning of 51 the ‘lowest’ top score in an ODI team total of 300+? – Asked by Srinivas, India

West Indies scored 310 runs at loss of six wickets in their quota of 50 overs and the highest score in their inning was 51 by Denesh Ramdin. The top three scores actually were 51 (Ramdin), 50 (Simmons) and 49 (Bravo). Yes, it is the ‘lowest’ top score in a total of over 300 runs in ODIs. The previous ‘lowest’ top score in this case was 54 for South Africa (by Lance Klusener) against Sri Lanka at Lahore in 1997. South Africa had scored 311/9 in 50 overs with two more batsmen scoring 50s.

5. Who are the batsmen who scored centuries on their World Cup debut? – Asked by many!

In this World Cup so far in the first ten matches two players have scored centuries in their first World Cup match – Aaron Finch and David Miller. In the past World Cups, 13 players achieved this feat – Glenn Turner and Dennis Amiss in 1975, Trevor Chappell and Allan Lamb in 1983, Geoff Marsh in 1987, Andy Flower in 1992, Gary Kirsten and Nathan Astle in 1996, Craig Wishart, Andrew Symonds and Scott Styris in 2003, Jeremy Bray in 2007 and Virat Kohli in 2011.

Please check my article for CricketCountry.com on this topic for more details - http://www.cricketcountry.com/articles/icc-cricket-world-cup-2015-hundreds-on-world-cup-debut-and-last-world-cup-match-245373

Ask Bharath #6

1. In World Cup, how many times have a team bowl through a complete inning without conceding any extra? – Asked by Amit Kumar, India

There has not been any complete innings (all out or full quota of overs) without an extra by the bowlers. The inning in World Cups with most runs without having any extras is 178/5 in 37.3 overs for South Africa where the New Zealand bowlers did not concede any type of extra run defending their total of 177/9 in 50 overs. South Africa. The least number of extras conceded in a complete inning of 50 overs is 3 wides by Kenya bowlers to West Indies (246/7) in World Cup 2003.

2. Whose record did Srikar Bharat break for the highest individual score by a wicketkeeper in Ranji Trophy? – Asked by Mit Chowdhury, India

Srikar Bharat became the first wicketkeeper to score a triple century in Ranji Trophy in the last match of group stage of this Ranji Trophy season. He scored 308 for Andhra against Goa. The previous record for the highest individual inning by a wicketkeeper was held by Sagar Jogiyani who scored 282 for Saurashtra against Gujarat in 2012/13 season. CM Gautam is the only wicketkeeper to score two individual 250+ scores in Ranji Trophy.

3. Axar Patel was out for a golden duck on his 21^st birthday (against England on January 20, 2015). How many players have that feat in ODIs? – Asked by Kaushik Saha, Mumbai, India

Axar Patel became the fourth player to get a golden duck on his birthday in ODIs. The three players to get this before Axar Patel are Pat Symcox (36^th birthday) in 1996, Junior Murray (29^th birthday) in 1997 and Azhar Mahmood (26^th birthday) in 2001. Makhaya Ntini was out for a diamond duck (dismissed without facing a ball) on his 23^rd birthday in 2000. Overall, Axar Patel is the 18^th player to get out on duck on birthday in ODIs.

Axar Patel © Getty Images

Shaminda Eranga is the only bowler to take wicket in his first over in all three formats while Bhuvneshwar Kumar is the only bowler to take his first wicket as bowled in all three formats.

4. How many players have taken wicket off their first ball in ODI, Test and T20I career? – Asked by Kalpesh Malpani, Kalyan, India

19 players in Tests, 18 in ODIs and 6 in T20Is have taken a wicket on their very first ball of the career. Latest to do in Tests was Dane Piedt of South Africa in 2014, in ODIs it was Kenneth Kamyuka of Canada and in T20Is Nadeem Ahmed for Hong Kong and Paras Khadka for Nepal took a wicket on their first ball in the same match. In T20Is, Michale Kasprowicz took two wickets off his first two balls and Virat Kohli took a wicket of his first ball which was a wide. In ODIs, Sadagoppan Ramesh and Wavell Hinds did it in the same ODI in 1999.

5. Which bowler holds the record for taking most number of five-wicket hauls and ten-wicket hauls in a season in Ranji Trophy? – Asked by Ayush Gandhi, India

Both these records are held by the same bowler and in same season. Bishan Singh Bedi took eight five-wickets in an innings and four ten-wickets in a match in the 1974/75 season for Delhi. In that season he took 64 wickets which is again a record for the highest number of wickets by a player in a season in Ranji Trophy. Maninder Singh in 1991/92, Rajesh Chauhan in 1996/97 and Laxmipathy Balaji in 2002/03 took seven five-wicket hauls in the season. CS Nayudu in 1942/43, Padmakar Shivalkar in 1972/73, BS Chandrasekhar in 1973/74, Rajinder Goel in 1978/79, Bharat Vij in 1996/97 and Laxmipathy Balaji in 2003/03 all took three ten-wicket hauls in a Ranji Trophy season.

Ask Bharath #5

1. Is it the first time that three players ageing over 40 are playing in a World Cup? – Asked by Jigar Mehta, Mumbai, India

In the ICC World Cup 2015, Misbah-ul-Haq for Pakistan and Mohammad Tauqir and Khurram Khan for United Arab Emirates are players ageing over 40. This is not the first time that three players with age of more than 40 appearing in the World Cup. It has happened in two World Cups in the past. In 1975 World Cup, Lance Gibbs for West Indies and Prabhu Nana and Donald Pringle for East Africa were the players with age of more than 40. There were three players with more than the age of 40 in 1996 World Cup, all from Netherlands – Flavian Aponso, Nolan Clarke and Steven Lubbers.

Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammad Tauqir and Khurram Khan
©AFP © Getty Images © Cricinfo

2. Which captain has taken most number of wickets in World Cups? – Asked by Aravinth JV, India

It is Imran Khan with 24 wickets in the 13 innings he bowled in World Cups as captain. He is followed by two more Pakistan cricketers – Shahid Afridi (21 wickets in eight innings) and Wasim Akram (18 wickets in 14 innings). Next best is 17 wickets by Kapil Dev in 15 innings.

In this World Cup the skippers who are regular bowlers among the test playing teams are: Mashrafe Mortaza (Bangladesh), Angelo Matthews (Sri Lanka), Jason Holder (West Indies) and Elton Chigumbura (Zimbabwe). We shall hope they pick some wickets as captain.

3. 26 wickets fell on the first day of the Ranji Trophy match between Gujarat and Haryana at Ahmedabad. What is the maximum number of wickets on the first day of a Ranji Trophy 

match and overall? – Anonymous

On February 6, 2015 at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Staidum in Ahmedabad in the Ranji Trophy 

match between Gujarat and Haryana, 26 wickets fell on the first day of the match. Haryana batting first were dismissed for 129 runs in 31.5 overs and then Gujarat were all out for 125 in 29.2 overs. By the end of the day, Haryana lost another six wickets in their second inning (71 for 6 in 24 overs). The next day, Gujarat won the match by nine wickets.

The record for most number of wickets to fell on the first day of a Ranji Trophy match is 30. It was on the first day of the first ever Ranji Trophy match between Madras and Mysore at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on November 4, 1934; Mysore 48/10 (27.2), Madras 130/10 (43) and Mysore 59/10 (39.3). The match was over on the first day itself with Madras winning it by an inning and 23 runs.

In overall First-Class cricket, there are seven occasions of all the 40 wickets of the match felling on the first day of the match. All the occasions were in the 18^th and 19^th century. Since World War II, the record is 32 wickets on the first day of the match between Griqualand West and Easterns at Kimberly in South Africa in 2010/11.

4. Mumbai were defeated by an innings for the first time in the last about 64 years. This should be the record for most years between two innings defeats. Which team has the next best sequence? – Asked by Vigneshwar, Chennai, India

The defeat by an innings and 44 runs for Mumbai against Tamil Nadu at Chepauk is only the fourth innings defeat for Mumbai in their history of Ranji Trophy. Their last such defeat was way back in 1950/51 against Gujarat at Ahmedabad by an innings and 166 runs. The next most number of years between two innings defeats is for Wellington in New Zealand for about 35 years from December 1904 to February 1939. Hyderabad was without an innings defeat for 32 years from 1964/65 to 1996/97. Delhi had such a streak for 28 years while Tamil Nadu/Madras and Baroda had for about 25 years. Auckland was without an innings defeat for about 23 years.

Has any wicketkeeper bowled in World Cup? – Asked by Poun Raj, India

Well, there has been no instance of a wicketkeeper giving away his gloves and bowled in a World Cup match. Overall in ODIs, there have been only seven occasions when a designated wicketkeeper bowled in a match. The best figures by a designated wicketkeeper in an ODI are 2/11 by Devon Thomas for West Indies against Bangladesh in 2009 and 2/42 by Tatenda Taibu for Zimbabwe against Sri Lanka at Harare in 2004. MS Dhoni has bowled in two ODIs, picking a wicket in one of them. Hashan Tillkaratne and Andrew Hall also bowled as wicketkeepers in ODIs.

Ask Bharath #4

1. In the last season in West Indies, the Chanderpauls played in a FC match together. Has any other father-son combo played in International cricket in the same match? In FC, does the record limit to dad-son or any other generation/ relation is involved, in a single match? - Asked by Soumyadut Nag, India

The Chanderpauls - Shivnarine (father) and Tagenarine (son) - have appeared in a three first-class matches together for Guyana. There have been no international match that had a father-son pair playing together. However there are about 18 more occasions of a father-son pair appearing in the same first-class match. The last was Denis (father) and Heath Streak (son) in 1996. In 1851 to 1853, William Lillywhite played alongside his two sons - John Lillywhite and James Lillywhite in two matches. That is the only occasion of a father and two sons appearing in the same match.

Shivnarine (father) and Tagenarine (son) - The Chanderpauls

There have been one ODI in which the father was umpiring and son played the match. It was Subhash Modi (father) the umpire and Hitesh Modi (son) the player for Kenya against Bangladesh in 2006. Subhash Modi declared his son Hitesh Out Leg before in the match!

There are no occasions of grandfather-grandson appearing in a match together.

Read more about this in Arunabha Sengupta's article. 

2. West Indies scored 86 runs in their powerplay against South Africa in the T20 International match at Johannesburg while chasing target of 232. Is this the highest powerplay score in T20Is? What is the highest in T20 cricket? - Asked by Amit Kumar, Uttar Pradesh, India

West Indies scored 86 runs for the loss of one wicket in their first six overs against South Africa at Johannesburg on January 11, 2015. West Indies successfully chased down the target of 232 set by South Africa. This is not the highest score in first six overs (powerplays) in T20Is. It is less than what Netherlands got against Ireland in World T20 2014 at Sylhet Stadium. The Dutch scored 91 runs for one wicket in the powerplays in order to chase target of 190 runs within 14.3 overs to get into the main round of the tournament.

The highest powerplay score in T20s is more than 100 runs. Faisalabad Wolves against Multan Tigers at Karachi on February 25, 2006 scored 24 runs off first over, 34 off the second and 24 off the third. They scored 82 runs for no loss in their first three overs! The over by over details are clearly not available online but it can be projected to about 110-115 runs as the first wicket fell in the fifth over on the score of 105 and they went on to score 123 for two wickets in 7.3 overs.

In the last IPL edition, Chennai Super Kings smashed exactly 100 runs in first six overs against Kings XI Punjab in the second qualifier at Bangalore while chasing 227 runs to go enter the finals.

3. Ricky Ponting has the next best set of 52 test matches after Bradman (covered in Ask Bharath #2). Who has the next highest aggregate in career's first 52 tests behind Bradman's 6996 runs and 29 100s? - Asked by Soumyadut Nag, India

Don Bradman scored 6996 runs at average of 99.94 in his career of 52 tests and 80 innings. He scored 13 half-centuries and 29 100s in those number of matches. The next highest aggregate by any player in his career's first 52 tests is 5007 by Sunil Gavaskar including 20 centuries. Gavaskar is the only other batsman after Bradman to accumulate more than 5000 runs in first 52 tests of career. Anyways, Bradman played 80 innings in his 52 matches whereas Gavaskar played 95 innings. At 80 innings, Gavaskar had only 3951 runs with 16 centuries. For 80 innings, the highest aggregate after Bradman is 4384 by Jack Hobbs in 48 tests with 13 centuries.

4. How many times has all players (including wicketkeeper) have bowled in an inning in ODIs and Tests? - Anonymous

It has happened four times in Test matches that all the eleven players bowled atleast a ball in a test inning. The instances are: England against Australia at The Oval in 1884, Australia against Pakistan at Faisalabad in 1979/80, India against West Indies at St John's in 2002 and South Africa against West Indies at St John's in 2005. There are 14 more occasions of 10 players bowling in a test inning.

In ODIs, the maximum number of players from a team has bowled is nine. It has happened 13 times in the past and the last was Zimbabwe against South Africa at Benoni in 2010/11.

In T20Is, the maximum is eight players which has also happened 13 times and the last was Netherlands against Ireland at Sylhet in 2013/14 (in the match which Netherlands chased 190 runs in 13.5 overs).

5. Virat Kohli missed scoring twin centuries in the same test series twice. How many batsmen have done that in the past? - Asked by Zac Braun

Virat Kohli scored 115 & 141 runs in the first test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at Adelaide and then had two more chances to score twin centuries in a test match. He scored 169 at Melbourne and then followed up with 54 runs in the second inning. In the next test, the final test, at Sydney he scored 147 runs in the first inning and scored 46 in the second innings.

Only once in the history of Test cricket a batsman scored centuries in each innings of a test twice in the same series. It was Clyde Walcott for West Indies against Australia in 1955. He scored 126 & 110 at Port of Spain (second test) and 155 & 110 at Kingston (fifth test).

Ask Bharath #3

1. Murali Vijay and Lokesh Rahul opened for India in the fourth Test at Sydney. How many times the Indian team had South Indian openers? – Asked by Ajai Banerjee, Jaipur, India

Murali Vijay, born in Tamil Nadu, and Lokesh Rahul, born in Karnataka, opened for India in the fourth Test match against Australia at Sydney. They became the seventh pair (both born in South Indian states) to open for Indian in Tests. There has not been any South Indian opening pair staying a long time. The maximum was Jaisaimha-Kunderan and Jaisimha-Sardesai pair, both opened in 11 innings each.

Lokesh Rahul and Murali Vijay - The South Indian opening pair for India
© Getty Images

Partner 1	Partner 2	Inns
ML Jaisimha (Andhra Pradesh)	Budhi Kunderan (Karnataka)	11
ML Jaisimha (Andhra Pradesh)	Dilip Sardesai (Goa)	11
VVS Laxman (Andhra Pradesh)	Sadagoppan Ramesh (Tamil Nadu)	10
Abhinav Mukund (Tamil Nadu)	Murali Vijay (Tamil Nadu)	6
Lokesh Rahul (Karnataka)	Murali Vijay (Tamil Nadu)	2
VVS Laxman (Andhra Pradesh)	MSK Prasad (Andhra Pradesh)	2
Abid Ali (Andhra Pradesh)	Kenia Jayantilal (Andhra Pradesh)	1

As Goa players play for South Zone in Indian Domestic Cricket, Dilip Sardesai who was born in Goa is included in the list.

Rahul Dravid opened with South Indian openers - VVS Laxman, Woorkeri Raman and Abhinav Mukund but he was born in Madhya Pradesh. Hence he doesn't appear in the list above.

A bonus list of both Indian openers being from same state - http://www.cricketcountry.com/articles/india-in-test-cricket-both-opening-batsmen-from-same-state-and-more-235707

2. How many players got Man of the Series award after their team was whitewashed in a Test series of 3 or more matches? Sachin Tendulkar got one in Australia in 1999/00 though Indian lost the three-test series by 3-0. – Asked by Praveen Kumar, Kundapura, India

This has happened only two times – Sachin Tendulkar in the Border Gavaskar Trophy 1999/00 in Australia where he scored 278 runs at 46.33 though the highest run getter was Ricky Ponting with 375 runs at 125.00 and Brian Lara in the three-match series in Sri Lanka in 2001/02 where he scored 688 runs at 114.66 and the next highest run getter was Hashan Tillakaratne with 403 runs at 403.00. Both these players got the award after their team was whitewashed in the three-match series.

There are few more occasions when a player whose team was whitewashed in the series got Man of the Series award. But those were in the series where one or more players from both the sides were announced Man of the Series. The occasions are: Geoff Lawson (Aus) along with Abdul Qadir in Pakistan in 1982/83, Martin Crowe (NZ) along with Shoaib Mohammad and Waqar Younis in Pakistan in 1990/91, Courtney Walsh (WI) along with Aamer Sohail in Pakistan in 1997/98, Mark Richardson (NZ) along with Steve Harmison in England in 2004, Shivnarine Chanderpaul (WI) along with Andrew Flintoff in England in 2004 and Rahul Dravid (Ind) along with Stuart Broad in England in 2011. Chanderpaul’s and Dravid’s were whitewashes in four-match series while the rest were in three-match series whitewashes.

3. Despite Kumar Sangakkara’s 203 Sri Lanka were all out for 356 against New Zealand at Wellington in third match of the series. Is this the lowest all out total in Tests to include a double century from a non-opener? – Asked by Aaquib Ansari, Bhiwandi, India

Kumar Sangakkara batting at No.3 scored 203, his 11^th double century in Tests, to take a lead of 135 runs in reply to New Zealand’s first inning total of 221. Sri Lanka were all out for 356. It is the second lowest all out total in Tests that included a double century from non-opener. The lowest is just three runs less –South Africa were all out for 353 after their No.4 batsman Graeme Pollock scored 209 against Australia at Cape Town in 1966/67. Overall, the lowest all out including a double century from a batsman at any position is 329 by India against Sri Lanka at Galle in 2008 where Virender Sehwag, the opener, carried the bat throughout the inning scoring 201.

4. The Indian team that took field in the Sydney Test against Australia had an average experience of 15.63 test matches (including the Sydney test in their career). Is this the least experienced Indian team in the last 50 years? – Asked by Vivekananda Joshi, Almora, India

It is not the least experienced Indian playing XI in the last 50 years, but it is the least experienced in the last 40 years. Till the third test MS Dhoni who played 90 tests was part of the team and for a long time the Sachin-Dravid-Laxman trio played together. Hence, the experience was higher all the times. Aggregate of 172 tests and average of 15.63 matches per player is the lowest for an Indian test team since the Auckland test of 1976 in New Zealand in which the aggregate number of matches was 154 and average of 14 matches per player (including that test). Erapalli Prasanna was the most experienced with 36 matches, six players had experience of less than 10 matches in which three were debutants (Surinder Amarnath, Syed Kirmani and Dilip Vengsarkar).

5. Who bowled maximum number of deliveries before taking their first test wicket? – Asked by Aryamaan Prajapati, Calcutta, India

This dubious distinction is with AG Kripal Singh from India. He took his first test wicket in his 652^nd ball in his 10^th inning he bowled in. He took 10 wickets in almost as many deliveries in next four innings. The record of conceding most number of runs before first wicket is by Roger Wijesuriya who conceded 285 runs before taking his first test wicket.

Ball by ball details is not available to public for earlier matches. Thanks to Charles Davis’ researches on this. 

Check out the previous 'Ask Bharath' - #1 and #2

To send your queries - Click Here 

Ask Bharath #2

1. Who has the next best set of 52 test matches as a batsman after Don Bradman and 27 matches as a bowler after Sydney Barnes?  - Asked by Manish Achuth, Bangalore, India by Email

Don Bradman scored 6996 runs at an average of 99.94 in 80 innings of 52 test matches he played. No batsman has aggregated that much in career’s any consecutive 52 tests. The next best is 5813 runs by Ricky Ponting from March 8, 2002 to November 23, 2006 at an average of 74.52 (Test no. 55 to 106). He played 92 innings in that period which included 23 centuries and 20 half-centuries. Next to Ponting comes Brian Lara with 5576 runs between April 6, 2001 and November 23, 2006 at 61.27 with 19 100s and 17 50s (Test no. 79 to 130).

Next best aggregate after Bradman, in 52 tests © Getty Images

Sydney Barnes accumulated 189 wickets in his test career of 27 matches. But Barnes’ tally is not the highest in a career’s any consecutive 27 tests. Muttiah Muralitharan got more than Barnes. Muralitharan took 205 wickets in 27 tests (Test no. 83 to 109) between December 2, 2003 and December 7, 2006 at an average of 18.15 and strike rate of 43.10 with 10 wickets in a match seven times and 5 wickets in an inning 18 times. Muralitharan had another sequence of 205 wickets (Test no. 85 to 111). Among pace bowlers, it is Waqar Younis with the next best aggregate wickets in 27 consecutive tests. He took 177 wickets between October 10, 1990 and September 28, 1994 (Test no. 6 to 32).

2. Who has the highest batting average in Sheffield Shield in Australia and County Championship in England? – Asked by Rahul Dharangaonkar, Bangalore, India on Twitter

In Sheffield Sheild in Australia, the leader is the Donald Bradman for players with a minimum of 5000 runs in the tournament. Bradman scored 8926 runs in Sheffield Shield in 62 matches and 96 innings at an average of 110.29 that included 36 100s and 20 50s. The next best is his Bill Ponsford with an average of 83.27 in 43 matches and 70 innings that yielded him 5413 runs with 21 100s and 14 50s. The highest among batsmen with 9000+ runs in the tournament (Bradman tops till that cutoff) is 60.69 by Michael Bevan.

In County Championship in England, the highest average among batsmen with minimum of 15000 runs in the tournament is by Kumar Ranjitsinhji. He averaged 62.04 in 187 matches and 297 innings scoring 16194 runs with 50 100s and 68 50s. Among batsmen with a minimum of 25000 runs, the best average is 58.18 by Mark Rampraskash. Ramprakash played 353 matches, 585 innings and scored 29731 runs with help of 103 100s and 119 50s.

3. Karn Sharma in his debut test went for 24 runs in an over. Is it the highest in an over for a debutant? – Asked by Soumyadut Nag, India by Email

It is indeed the highest number of runs conceded in an over by a bowler in his debut test. Karn Sharma conceded 24 runs to Mitchell Marsh (6, 4, 0, 6, 2, 6) in the 64^th over of Australia’s second inning at Adelaide on December 12, 2014. The previous dubious record was 21 runs by three bowlers – by Lance Klusener (SA) vs India at Kolkata in November 1996, by Colin Stuart (WI) vs Australia at Melbourne in December 2000 and by Pankaj Singh (Ind) vs England at Southampton in July 2014.Mohammad Azharuddin hit five consecutive fours in an over to Lance Klusener on his debut (21 runs).

4. What is the maximum number of runs off a single (legal) delivery in Tests and FC? Brathwaite got 7 (including an overthrown boundary) off Philander at Cape Town in the 3^rd test of the series. – Asked by Ajai Banerjee, Jaipur, India on Facebook.

Kraigg Brathwaite got off to the mark with seven runs in the 2^nd innings of the test match at Centurion on January 4, 2015. That is the highest number of runs to get off the mark in Test cricket. But, it is not the highest number of runs in a single legal delivery. The most runs off a single delivery is 8 runs, not the extras. It has happened five times in the history of test cricket.

Batsman	Bowler	Runs	Venue	Year
Patsy Hendren (Eng)	Percy Hornibrook (Aus)	4 all-run + 4 overthrows	Melbourne	1928/29
Vijay Hazare (Ind)*	-	-	Mumbai (BS)	1951/52
John Wright (NZ)	Lenny Pascoe (Aus)	4 all-run + 4 overthrows	Melbourne	1980/81
Brian Lara (WI)	Nicky Boze (SA)	3 all-run + 5 penalties	Port of Spain	2004/05
Andrew Symonds (Aus)	Iain O'Brien (NZ)	4 all-run + 4 overthrows	Brisbane	2008/09

*Details missing for Hazare’s instance.

In first class cricket, the most runs off a single delivery recorded is ten runs – AN Hornby for Lancashire vs Surrey, Oval, 1873 and SH Hill-Wood for Derbyshire vs MCC, Lord’s, 1900. In 1842, FCB Ponsonby ran nine runs for MCC vs Cambridge University.

5. How many runs had Sachin scored as the same number of Odis and Tests as Virat Kohli? – Asked by Ram Narayanan, Chennai, India on Facebook

In Tests, Virat Kohli has scored 2547 runs in 33 matches and 59 innings at 46.30 with 10 100s and 10 50s. In 33 tests, Sachin Tendulkar had 2412 runs in 42 innings at 51.00 with 7 100s and 10 50s. In 59 innings, Sachin Tendulkar had 2837 runs at 54.55 with 10 100s and 13 50s.

In Odis, Virat Kohli has scored 6208 runs in 146 matches and 138 innings at 52.61 with 21 100s and 33 50s. In 146 ODIs, Sachin Tendulkar had 5197 runs in 143 innings at 40.28 with 11 100s and 32 50s.

Ask Bharath #1

1. In Ranji Trophy which bowler has bowled the maximum number of maiden overs in an inning without conceding any run in that inning? - Asked by Dilip Singh, India on Twitter

It is Manish Majithia who bowled 20 overs, all maidens, in the 4^th inning for Madhya Pradesh against Railways at Maharani Usharaje Trust Cricket Ground in Indore in 1999/00. His figures were 20-20-0-1. Not only in Ranji Trophy, but it is the record in the whole first class cricket history. Railways scored 86 for five in 109 overs in the fourth inning for a draw. Out of 86, they scored 83 runs from 104 overs on the last day which is a first class cricket record for the fewest number of runs in a full day’s play.

Manish Majithia
© Saeed Khan

2. Mohammad Yousuf of Pakistan scored over 600 in two consecutive Test series he played (Against England and against WI, 2006), was this feat of his unique? How many times it has happened? Anyone who had 3 or more such consecutive series? - Asked by Muhammad Khalid, Karachi, Pakistan on Facebook

Mohammad Yousuf scored 631 runs in 4 matches at an average of 90.14 against England in England and 665 runs in 3 matches at 133.00 against West Indies in Pakistan in two consecutive test series in the year 2006 in which he aggregated a record 1788 runs as the highest number of runs in a calendar year in Tests. His tally of 600+ runs in two consecutive test series is the joint best. Others to have done this are Don Bradman (twice) and Clyde Walcott. The details are provided below.

Don Bradman (Australia) 

vs England in England, 1934 - 758 runs in 5 matches & 8 innings at 94.75

vs England in Australia, 1936/37 - 810 runs in 5 matches & 9 innings at 90.00

Don Bradman (Australia)

vs England in Australia, 1946/47 - 680 runs in 5 matches & 8 innings at 97.14 

vs India in Australia, 1947/48 - 715 runs in 5 matches & 6 innings at 178.75

Clyde Walcott (West Indies)

vs England in West Indies, 1953/54 - 698 runs in 5 matches & 10 innings at 87.25

vs Australia in West Indies, 1955 - 827 runs in 5 matches & 10 innings at 82.70

Mohammad Yousuf (Pakistan)

vs England in England, 2006 - 631 runs in 4 matches & 7 innings at 90.14

vs West Indies in Pakistan, 2006/07 - 665 runs in 3 matches & 5 innings at 133.00

3. Last year Broad took Hat trick and England lost that Test vs SL. How many times it happened in Tests and when? – Asked by Amit Kumar, Uttar Pradesh, India on Twitter

Stuart Broad’s hat-trick was the 41^st hat-trick overall in Test cricket. His team lost the test to Sri Lanka at Headingley, Leeds by 100 runs. It was the 11^th occasion of a bowler taking the hat-trick but ending up on the losing side. The table below has the details of all.

Test Hat-Tricks in losing cause

Bowler	For	Against	Venue	Year
Johnny Briggs	England	Australia	Sydney	1891/92
Geoff Griffin	South Africa	England	Lord's	1960
Peter Petherick	New Zealand	Pakistan	Lahore	1976/77
Merv Hughes	Australia	West Indies	Perth	1988/89
Darren Gough	England	Australia	Sydney	1998/99
Mohammad Sami	Pakistan	Sri Lanka	Lahore	2001/02
Jermaine Lawson	West Indies	Australia	Bridgetown	2003
Alok Kapali	Bangladesh	Pakistan	Peshawar	2003
Irfan Pathan	India	Pakistan	Karachi	2005/06
Ryan Sidebottom	England	New Zealand	Hamilton	2007/08
Stuart Broad	England	Sri Lanka	Leeds	2014

4. Most test runs by an Indian on the first day of test vs SA, Aus, Pak, SL, WI, NZ, Eng, Ban – Asked by Akhil VM, Palakkad, India on Facebook

It shouldn't be surprising that Virender Sehwag tops against four of them. It should be surprising that Rahul Dravid tops against two of them. The table below has the details.

Most runs on the first day of a test match by an Indian against various opponent teams

Opponent	Runs	Batsman	Venue	Year
Australia	195	Virender Sehwag (195)	Melbourne	2003/04
Bangladesh	145*	Rahul Dravid (160)	Chittagong	2004/05
England	170*	Budhi Kunderan (192)	Madras	1963/64
New Zealand	173	Virender Sehwag (173)	Ahmedabad	2010/11
Pakistan	228*	Virender Sehwag (309)	Multan	2003/04
South Africa	155	Sachin Tendulkar (155)	Bloemfontein	2001/02
Sri Lanka	177*	Rahul Dravid (177)	Ahmedabad	2009/10
West Indies	180	Virender Sehwag (180)	Gros Islet	2006
Zimbabwe	176*	Vinod Kambli (227)	Delhi	1992/93

5. How many Test caps has Delhi produced? And who all are above it with how many? – Asked by Siddharth Khandelwal, Nagpur, India on Facebook

Delhi has produced 16 test caps (based on players born in Delhi) so far out of 284 caps.  It is seventh in the list of Indian states with most test caps. It is well known that Maharashtra has produced the most test caps – 78. The table below has the list for all states and the other countries.

Number of test caps from each state in India (based on birth location)

State (or Country)	Caps
Maharashtra	78
Punjab	31
Gujarat	30
Tamil Nadu	25
Karnataka	22
Uttar Pradesh	22
Delhi	16
Andhra Pradesh	15
Bengal	11
Bihar	6
Sind	5
Kerala	4
Madhya Pradesh	4
Orissa	3
Rajasthan	3
Haryana	2
Afghanistan	1
Brazil	1
Daman	1
Goa	1
Jharkhand	1
Malaysia	1
Trinidad	1
Total	284

+ - Countries.

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