Some of the stand-out numbers from the five-match Test series came from the fast bowlers of both sides and India captain Virat Kohli
Gaurav Sundararaman12-Sep-2018With England winning the Pataudi Trophy 4-1, India have now lost four Tests in a series on eight occasions; three of those have come in England. The series was challenging from batsmen from both sides while the pace bowlers proved to be a major force to reckon with. England won several key moments, helping them to win the series. Some of the stand-out numbers from the series came mainly from bowlers and India captain Virat Kohli.Batsmen had it tough32 Batsmen dismissed for a duck in this series: joint-fifth for any series and the most since 2000. The 21 ducks scored by India were the joint-most they have ever had in a series along with the Indian side that toured Australia in 1948. 45 Batsmen dismissed leg-before-wicket: Most ever in any series in Test cricket. The Duke’s ball, DRS and the tough conditions through the day ensured the batsmen needed to be wary of the ball hitting the pad. Jos Buttler (four times), Keaton Jennings, Joe Root and KL Rahul (three times) were the batsmen who were dismissed most number of times in the manner. 3 Fifty-plus scores by openers from 38 innings: joint-lowest in a five-match series and the lowest since 1952. Incidentally, the three scores above 50 came only in the last Test. Alastair Cook scored two of them while Rahul notched up his century on the last day of the tour. The average of 25.26 was also the second-lowest for openers in a five-match series in England in the last 50 years.Lower-order resistance 1459 Runs scored by the lower order (7-11) for both teams: second-most in a five-match series in England. While the top order found it extremely hard to score runs, the lower order bailed the teams out on several occasions. For England, it turned out to be series defining while for India these runs came at stages when they were behind the game. Chris Woakes and Rishabh Pant were the lower-order batsmen to score centuries while there were 17 ducks to go with this.ESPNcricinfo LtdKohli leads the wayOne man who dominated the series with the bat almost consistently was Virat Kohli. He scored 593 runs while the next best for India was KL Rahul with 299 runs. Kohli’s tally was the second-best for India against England in England. He missed Rahul Dravid’s record of 602 runs from 2002. Kohli has captained for three years now and he has lead the run charts for India in eight of the 13 series he has been involved in. Unfortunately, India have not managed to win in Australia, South Africa or in England. Kohli will have another opportunity later this year when India tour Australia in November-December.Curran’s Kapil actSam Curran, who was adjudged the Player of the Series on Tuesday, became the second-youngest player after Kapil Dev to take ten wickets and score more than 250 runs in a series. Kapil had achieved this feat when West Indies toured India in 1978.Spills and stunners14 Catches taken by Rahul: most for a fielder in any series in England. Cook trails Rahul by one catch. Rahul’s tally was the joint-second-most ever in Tests along with Greg Chappell. Jack Gregory leads the pack with 15 catches in the 1920 Ashes. This series turned out to a mixed bag for the fielders. Both teams caught poorly in the first two Tests but improved as the series progressed. Anderson v Kohli Since 2001, only three fast bowlers have bowled more than 250 balls against a batsman in a single series and not dismissed them. James Anderson tried his best Virat Kohli but failed to get him out. Kohli was reprieved on more than two occasions but managed to score 114 runs from the 270 balls he faced. Stuart Broad faced the same challenge against Steven Smith earlier this year when he bowled 272 deliveries and conceded just 110 runs. The Ashes series in 2010 saw Ben Hilfenhaus bowl 286 balls to Cook but failed to dismiss him. Anderson, however, stands out in this list given Kohli was in control of only 79% of the deliveries while Smith and Cook were in control 88% and 89% respectively.ESPNcricinfo Ltd Pace bowlers’ shine 61 Wickets taken by the Indian pace bowlers: most wickets in a series for India. Previously the pace attack had taken 58 when Pakistan toured India in 1979. This was also the first time that five Indian bowlers – quicks or spinners – took a minimum of ten wickets in a series. Jadeja played only one game but took seven wickets.53.6 Strike rate of India’s fast bowlers: lowest in a five-match series away from home. This pace attack, however, is one of the best India has seen over the years. Five of the top eight best strike-rates for India’s fast bowlers in a series away from home are under Kohli’s captaincy.23.94 Average of the England pace bowlers: third-lowest in the last 50 years at home. Their strike rate of 48.4 is also the third-best at home. Incidentally, there was only one five-wicket haul for the England pacers.
