Statistical highlights, Day 2

India vs Zimbabwe, 1st Test, Day 2: Report | Images | Scorecard

·           Irfan Pathan (5-58) was taking a five-wicket haul for the fourth time in his career. Interestingly all of his five-fors have been achieved on foreign soil - in last three Tests! Pathan had returned the figures of 5-45 and 6–51 at Dhaka and 5-32 at Chittagong against Bangladesh in 2004-05.

·            Pathan's figures are the best by an Indian bowler on Zimbabwean soil bettering Harbhajan Singh's 4-71 at Harare in 2001.

·           Pathan became the fourth Indian bowler to claim five wickets in an innings against Zimbabwe after Anil Kumble (twice), Javagal Srinath and Harbhajan Singh. 

·            Pathan's figures are the best for an Indian bowler in his first innings against Zimbabwe. Five bowlers -- Manoj Prabhakar, Javagal Srinath, Anil Kumble, Maninder Singh and Ashish Nehra -- had taken three wickets in their debut innings against Zimbabwe.

·            Pathan's figures are also the best for an Indian bowler in his first Test (either innings) against Zimbabwe, bettering Sarandeep Singh's 4 for 136 (in second innings) at Nagpur in 2000-01. 

·           Pathan completed 50 wickets of his Test career with the wicket of Blessing Mahwire - 30th Indian to achieve this milestone. Playing his 14th Test, Pathan became the second fastest Indian pacer after Venkatesh Prasad to reach the 50-wicket mark. Prasad had taken 13 Tests in doing so.

·           At 20 years 322 days, Pathan became the third youngest Indian to reach this landmark after Harbhajan Singh (20 years 261 days) and Kapil Dev (20 years 273 days).

·           VVS Laxman (125*) scored eighth hundred of his career in 65th Test - his first against Zimbabwe in five Tests. Laxman's previous highest against Zimbabwe was a paltry 38 at Bulawayo in 2001.

·           When Laxman's score reached 39, he completed his 4,000 runs in Test cricket in 65 Tests and 104 innings. He became tenth Indian to achieve this milestone. Laxman, however, is the third slowest among Indians after Kapil Dev (97 Tests) and Dilip Vengsarkar (70 Tests) to perform this feat. Just for the record, Sunil Gavaskar -- fastest among Indians -- needed 43 Tests and 81 innings to complete his 4,000 runs.

·            Laxman's innings is the highest by an Indian batsman on Zimbabwean soil bettering fellow teammate Rahul Dravid's 118 at Harare in 1998-99. Sanjay Manjrekar (104 at Harare in 1992-93) is the only other Indian to have scored a hundred in Zimbabwe.

·           The 130-run partnership between Dravid and Laxman is India's best for third wicket at Zimbabwean soil. The pair bettered the 118 run-partnership between SS Das and Sachin Tendulkar at Harare in 2001.

·           India's 325 runs (in 82 overs) are the most scored by them in a single day's play against Zimbabwe in Zimbabwe. The previous record was of 242 runs on the second day of Harare Test in 1998-99.

·           Overall it was the fifth time in India-Zimbabwe Tests that a side managed to score 300 or more runs in a single day's play. India have done so on four occasions and Zimbabwe once.

Also read: Statistical highlights, Day 2