Stats: 8-star Nathan Lyon caps off stunning day with bagful of records
Riding on the glory of back to back series wins, the Indian batting has suddenly become sitting ducks for Australian spinners to come and wreak havoc. A week back, it was Steve O’Keefe, today it was Nathan Lyon, who, with his wily off spin, recorded the best figures by a touring bowler in India. On a pitch that turned and bounced viciously on occasions, Team India found itself dancing to the tunes of Nathan Lyon, who previously worked as a curator at Adelaide. With figures of 22.2-4-50-8, Lyon’s efforts etched his name in history as one of the best figures by an overseas spinner in India ever, bringing to the fore India’s woes while playing spin in their own den.
Here are the major statistics from the first day’s play:
1 - Lyon became the first bowler to take eight wickets on an opening day in India, going past Andy Roberts’ tally of 7 wickets.
2- The number of Indian batsmen who got stumped today. Never have three or more batsmen been stumped in an Indian innings.
3 - The number of 7-wicket hauls taken by Nathan Lyon against India, the most by any bowler.
4 - Only four bowlers have better bowling figure in India - Anil Kumble, Jasubhai Patel, Kapil Dev and Subhash Gupte.
5- The number of times Nathan Lyon has dismissed Virat Kohli, the most by a single bowler, equalling James Anderson’s record.
6 - Lyon’s was the sixth best bowling figures for an Australian in Tests.
8 - The number of wickets taken by Lyon in an innings, the most by a visiting spinner in India.
9 - The most number of opening pairs India has changed since 2015, second only to England.
11- The number of times Ajinkya Rahane has been dismissed by a spinner in 15 innings this season.
25 - The number of consecutive Tests under Virat Kohli that the Indian team has had a changed XI from the previous Test.
40 - For the first time in 40 years, the Indian team has been dismissed for less than 200 in three consecutive innings at home.
58 - Nathan Lyon became the leading wicket taker for Australia against India, the most by an Aussie. Brett Lee is next with 53.
56 - The number of Tests missed by Abhinav Mukund since his last Test in 2011, the second most by an Indian player, behind Parthiv Patel’s tally of 83 Tests.