What is the most number of wickets taken on a single day of a Test match?
The India vs England Test saw wickets fall like a pack of cards. After 13 wickets fell on Day 1 of the Test, Day 2 comfortably eclipsed that tally, with 17 wickets falling today.
But it is highly unlikely the record for the most number of Test wickets taken in a single day will be broken in Ahmedabad, even in the next Test. That honour falls to a Test match between Australia and England from 1888. During that Test match at Lord’s, 27 wickets fell for 157 runs on Day 2 of the game. Australia ultimately won the Test by 61 runs.
The next instance in Test cricket which saw the most number of wickets fall on a single day came on January 1, 1902. On Day 1 of the Australia vs England Test at Melbourne, 25 wickets fell for 221 runs. Just like the aforementioned game, this Test was too won by Australia as they beat England by 229 runs.
Rounding out the top three is another England vs Australia Test, this time at the Oval. On August 10, 1986, 24 wickets fell for 255 runs on Day 2 of the game. Unlike the first two instances, it was England who emerged victorious this time, winning the game by 66 runs.
What is the most number of Test wickets taken in a single day in India?
Although the top three occasions of the highest number of wickets falling on a single day took place decades years before, Indian fans were treated to a similar situation much more recently.
During the India vs Afghanistan Test in 2018, 24 Test wickets fell on Day 2 of the game. The Test match was notably Afghanistan’s first in their history and took place at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
Batting first, India piled on 474 in quick time, with openers Shikhar Dhawan and Murali Vijay registering centuries. On Day 2 of the Test, Afghanistan’s inexperience at this level caught them out, with the team bowled out twice on Day 2. Combined with India’s wickets, 24 wickets were taken for 339 runs that day.