News
29 Dec 2011, 06:48 pm
Summary
India slide to fifth straight loss in overseas Tests
Melbourne, December 29: India’s poor run with Boxing Day matches continued as the team notched up their fifth straight loss in an overseas Test. Chasing a victory target of 292 against Australia, the visitors were bundled out for a meagre 169 runs, with little to cheer on the batting front. Take a look at the numbers that matter from the fourth and final Day of the Melbourne Test.
MS Dhoni, equalled Syed Kirmani’s Indian record for most dismissals (41) against Australia with the dismissal of Mike Hussey. Dhoni took 11 Tests to do so as against Kirmani’s 17.
Chasing a victory target of 292 runs, India were dismissed for 169. No team has successfully chased down a 200-plus target at the MCG in the last 49 years. The last team to do so was England in January 1963 when they successfully chased down a target of 234 for the loss of three wickets.
Rahul Dravid got out bowled in both innings of a Test for just the fourth time in his career. The other such occasions were: v South Africa at Mumbai WS in 1999-‘00, v New Zealand at Wellington in 2002-‘03 and v Pakistan at Delhi in 2007-‘08.
Dravid has now been out bowled on 51 occasions. Only Allan Border (53) has more dismissals in this fashion in Test cricket.
VVS Laxman failed to reach double figures in both innings of a Test against Australia for only the second time in his career. Incidentally, the earlier such occasion was also at MCG (in 1999-‘00 when Laxman made 5 & 1).
Melbourne remains Laxman’s least favourite ground in Australia. In the four Tests he has played here, Laxman has aggregated just 114 runs at an average of 14.50 with a highest of 42. Laxman has aggregated 970 runs in eight Tests at other Australian grounds at an average of 69.29.
Sachin Tendulkar top-scored for India in both innings with scores of 73 and 32. This was the fifth such occasion for Tendulkar. He now shares the Indian record with Sunil Gavaskar.
This was India’s fifth consecutive defeat in an overseas Test. They had lost all four Tests against England in England in July-August this year.
This was India’s fifth consecutive defeat at Melbourne since 1991-‘92. In all they have lost 10 out of 11 games played here.
India’s poor form with Boxing Day Tests continues. They have now lost 10 out of 12 such games.



