On his way to
239, Sourav helped Indian test cricket to achieve couple of great
feats :
 India’s first innings score of 626 bettered the previous highest on this
ground (570 by Pakistan vs India in 2004-05)
The
300 runs fifth wicket partnership is the highest partnership in this
position by an Indian pair. Maharaj and Yuvaraj achieved that in 65.2
over with 4.59 average with 46 fours and one sixes.
The
178-run partnership between Sourav Ganguly and Irfan Pathan bettered
the previous best seventh wicket partnership for India vs Pakistan in
a Test match. R. Binny and Madanlal had put on 155 in 1983-84 — also
in Bangalore
Sourav Ganguly achieved
the following milestones en route to his maiden Test double century in
Bangalore:
On 150: he reached the mark for second time. His previous highest
(173) came in 1997-98 vs Sri Lanka in Mumbai
On 164: he went past the highest score made by a left-hander at this
venue. West Indian Clive Lloyd had made 163
On 170: he achieved the highest score by an Indian left-hander
against Pakistan. He beat Yuvraj Singh’s record of 169
On 228: he eclipsed the previous highest made by an Indian
left-hander. Vinod Kambli had made 227 vs Zimbabwe in Delhi (1992-93)
239: is the 7th highest in a
single innings by an Indian and 25th highest by a left-hander in Tests
STAT A GALORE
v This was his first double hundred in 99th Test. He has played most
Tests before notching up his first double
v In first class cricket, this was his third double century. His
previous two doubles were both scores of 200 not out. Incidentally
both were scored at the Eden Gardens (one vs Tripura in 1993-94 and
the other vs Bihar 1994-95)
v Sourav scored the 33rd
double century by an Indian batsman
v This was the third double hundred in Bangalore. Y. Khan (267) and
V. Sehwag (201) in 2005-06 (in the same match) are the other two
double centurions
Better late than never
Sourav
took most matches and innings to score his first double hundred — a
record. Among the current players, South African Jacques Kallis has
played 111 Tests and is yet to score a double hundred. Following is a
table of those who played most Tests before getting their first
double.
MOST
TESTS BEFORE A DOUBLE HUNDRED
Name Team M I Runs
S.
Ganguly Ind 98 159 6255
C. Hooper WI 92 158 5020
A. Border Aus 90 158 6926
S. Chanderpaul WI 80 135 5192
Salim Malik Pak 79 114 4142
Seventh highest run getter in Indian cricket
Sourav
Ganguly continued from where he had left off on the opening day,
making his highest Test score, and his first double-century. His 239
is the seventh-highest by an Indian, and the highest by a left-hander for the country, going
past Vinod Kambli's 227 against Zimbabwe in Delhi in 1992-93.
Ganguly's century was also the 50th by an Indian batsman against
Pakistan.
|
High scores
India - Test matches double+ centuries
|
Second highest run
getter in 2007
Ganguly's knock lifted his aggregate for 2007 to 932, which is
next only to Jacques Kallis' 1125
Most runs
2007 - Test matches
Player
|
Mat
|
Inns
|
NO
|
Runs
|
HS
|
Ave
|
BF
|
SR
|
100
|
50
|
0
|
4s
|
6s
|
JH
Kallis (SA)
|
8
|
15
|
3
|
1125
|
186
|
93.75
|
2187
|
51.44
|
5
|
5
|
0
|
126
|
7
|
SC
Ganguly (India)
|
9*
|
16
|
1
|
932
|
239
|
62.13
|
1476
|
63.14
|
3
|
3
|
0
|
119
|
7
|
KP
Pietersen (Eng)
|
10*
|
18
|
0
|
931
|
226
|
51.72
|
1497
|
62.19
|
4
|
1
|
1
|
110
|
3
|
KC
Sangakkara (SL)
|
6*
|
8
|
2
|
922
|
222*
|
153.66
|
1406
|
65.57
|
4
|
2
|
0
|
117
|
3
|
W
Jaffer (India)
|
9*
|
16
|
1
|
801
|
202
|
53.40
|
1454
|
55.08
|
3
|
4
|
3
|
115
|
1
|
Younis
Khan (Pak)
|
8*
|
15
|
2
|
751
|
130
|
57.76
|
1339
|
56.08
|
3
|
3
|
1
|
97
|
2
|
AN
Cook (Eng)
|
10*
|
18
|
0
|
730
|
106
|
40.55
|
1471
|
49.62
|
2
|
4
|
1
|
87
|
0
|
PD
Collingwood (Eng)
|
10*
|
18
|
1
|
713
|
128
|
41.94
|
1352
|
52.73
|
2
|
3
|
1
|
86
|
1
|
SR
Tendulkar (India)
|
8
|
14
|
2
|
699
|
122*
|
58.25
|
1385
|
50.46
|
2
|
5
|
0
|
84
|
1
|
IR
Bell (Eng)
|
10*
|
17
|
1
|
688
|
109*
|
43.00
|
1302
|
52.84
|
1
|
6
|
1
|
89
|
1
|
MP
Vaughan (Eng)
|
8*
|
14
|
1
|
675
|
124
|
51.92
|
1363
|
49.52
|
2
|
2
|
0
|
88
|
0
|
KD
Karthik (India)
|
9*
|
16
|
1
|
634
|
129
|
42.26
|
1237
|
51.25
|
1
|
5
|
0
|
81
|
1
|
HM
Amla (SA)
|
8
|
15
|
2
|
623
|
176*
|
47.92
|
1462
|
42.61
|
2
|
4
|
1
|
80
|
2
|
DPMD
Jayawardene (SL)
|
7*
|
10
|
1
|
617
|
165
|
68.55
|
1050
|
58.76
|
3
|
1
|
1
|
72
|
5
|
GC
Smith (SA)
|
8
|
15
|
0
|
574
|
133
|
38.26
|
994
|
57.74
|
1
|
3
|
1
|
76
|
1
|
R
Dravid (India)
|
9*
|
16
|
2
|
543
|
129
|
38.78
|
1149
|
47.25
|
1
|
3
|
0
|
78
|
1
|
MJ
Prior (Eng)
|
9*
|
15
|
2
|
539
|
126*
|
41.46
|
895
|
60.22
|
1
|
4
|
3
|
67
|
4
|
Kamran
Akmal (Pak)
|
8*
|
15
|
2
|
530
|
119
|
40.76
|
927
|
57.17
|
1
|
3
|
1
|
79
|
0
|
AG
Prince (SA)
|
8
|
14
|
3
|
498
|
138
|
45.27
|
1241
|
40.12
|
1
|
2
|
0
|
46
|
|
With Irfan Pathan getting a century as well - to add to the efforts of
Ganguly and Yuvraj Singh - it was a rare instance of three
left-handers scoring a century in an innings. This was only the third
such occasion in Tests - Justin Langer, Matthew Hayden and Adam
Gilchrist achieved it against New Zealand in
Brisbane in 2001-02, while Marcus Trescothick, Andrew Strauss and
Graham Thorpe feasted on South Africa in
Durban in 2004-05
The
four left-handers in the Indian team - Gautam Gambhir being the fourth
- totalled 515 runs in the innings, which is only the fourth time
left-handers managed an aggregate of more than 500 in an innings. The
record for the two highest contributions by left-handers is held by
West Indies, and on both occasions Brian Lara was the protagonist - he
contributed 400
out of 612 against England in Antigua in 2003-04, and 375
out of 556 against the opposition in 1993-94. Matthew Hayden's 380
against Zimbabwe in
Perth helped the lefties add 549.
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