Each member of the Indian XI at Wankhede has a first-class century
All eyes were fixed on Virat Kohli at the toss to see what combination he chooses to go ahead with as his playing XI for the fourth Test at Wankhede which started today. Injuries to key players like Ajinkya Rahane and Mohammed Shami had dented the Indians but then again in a country where cricket is a religion finding suitable backup players isn’t really a problem.
The Indian skipper had already handed Karun Nair his Test debut in Mohali to feature in the middle order and Bhuvneshwar Kumar was roped in before the Mumbai Test as Umesh Yadav’s new ball partner. Nair was retained for the tremendous form he has been in lately and with Shami injured Bhuvneshwar was the only trustworthy option left.
The inclusion of Bhuvneshwar helped set a unique milestone where all XI players in the team have a First-Class hundred. Yes, that is No. 11 Umesh Yadav too is no mug with the bat. This is also the ninth time that India have put together such a playing XI.
Here’s a look at how many First Class centuries does each player have
#11 Umesh Yadav
He sometimes can look out of sorts with the bat with genuine pace bowlers attacking him. But with the spinners he can swing the long handle. His stance is ungainly but he is well built and strikes it pretty hard whenever he gets a chance. There’s no subtlety about his batting, just raw power.
Umesh has played in 57 First-class games and has scored 623 runs at an average of 14.83. He has one century with 128 not out as his highest.
In Test matches, he has 167 runs from 28 innings with the highest score of 30.
#10 Bhuvneshwar Kumar
In recent times Bhuvneshwar has played some crucial innings for India bailing them out from some very tough situations. He has a good technique and looks quite comfortable with a willow in hand, unlike a No.10. In Test matches, he has the highest score of 63.
He has featured in 64 First-class games and has scored 2302 runs at an average of 27.73. He has one century where he got a 128.
#9 Jayant Yadav
By now, we all know the Haryana off-spinner knows very well how to use the willow. Since making his Test debut just three games back he has already shown potential to become a quality all-rounder very soon. In the last Test match against England in Mohali, he got a 55 batting alongside Ravindra Jadeja which helped the Indians get to a huge score.
In the First-class circuit, Jayant has a double hundred (211) and has scored 1665 runs from 44 games at an average of 29.21. With the way, he is batting it is only a matter of time before he gets his first international hundred too.
#8 Ravindra Jadeja
When he first came into the Test side he used to chip in with the bat as well. But there was a time when getting into double digits used to be a problem for the left-hander. Recently though he seems to have found a new mojo with the carved piece of wood. In the last game at Mohali, he scored his career best 90.
He has been quite a run-getter in First-class cricket and has seven centuries to his credit. He averages a healthy 43.48 after 72 outings with 4218 runs.
#7 Parthiv Patel
Patel made a comeback into the squad after 8 years courtesy of an injury to regular keeper Wriddhiman Saha. And boy! Did he grab the opportunity or what! The 31-year-old scored 42 and 67 not out in the Mohali game to ensure he could get another game in Mumbai.
The little left-hander who according to Anil Kumble “still looks like a 16-year-old” has been a veteran in the domestic arena and has 24 First-class hundreds with the best score of 206.
#6 Ravichandran Ashwin
Though he might be India’s top spinner at the moment, he his quite brilliant with the bat too. In the last year and a half, he has matured as a batter and is scoring big every time he is getting in. His recent form has also helped him notch 4 Test hundreds.
In First-class games Ashwin has six tons with the highest score of 124 from 77 matches. His mean is a healthy 35.16.
Also Read: Bhuvneshwar Kumar hits umpire Paul Reiffel on the back of his head with a throw
#5 Karun Nair
He might have just got four runs in his Test debut but is quite a player for Karnataka in domestic cricket. Nair has 2849 First-class runs from 38 games which include 8 hundreds and 13 fifties.
He was selected for the Indian cricket team at the back of a 145 against Assam. His highest score in the format is 328.
#4 Virat Kohli
What can you say about the statistics of a batsman which runs faster than a meter of an Indian Taxi? Nothing, just sit back and enjoy his batting.
The talismanic Indian Test skipper has 3959 Test runs already from just 51 games with 14 centuries. His One-Day figures are even better with 7570 runs from 176 games.
Well, he has been quite an achiever in First-class cricket too where he has scored 6208 runs with 21 hundreds from 83 games.
#3 Cheteshwar Pujara
India’s new Mr. Dependent has been quite a revelation in the past two series. He has come good for his team in tricky situations and more often than not bailed them out of tough situations.Pujara till now has 10 Test hundreds. But his First-class statistics are just huge! He has 36 tons from 137 matches with the highest score of 352.
#2 KL Rahul
He might be a newcomer to the Indian side but Rahul is the go-to man for his domestic outfit. And why would not he be? The 24-year-old has 12 hundreds for Karnataka in First-class games from 46 matches with 3963 runs.
#1 Murali Vijay
For some years now, Vijay has been India’s one of the most consistent openers in Test matches and has scored 3015 runs in the format already from 45 games.
In the First-class circuit too he has been a prolific run-getter and has 18 centuries to substantiate that. In this series he hasn’t got going yet, maybe the Wankhede will bring him some luck.