First day highlights

Test Cricket returned to Brabourne Stadium after a long gap of 36 years 9 months and 21 days. The previous test match played at this venue was against England in Feb 1973. This test has a global number of 711. The India-Sri Lanka test match which started today has a global number of 1937. After 1226 tests have been played all over the world. Brabourne stadium hosted a test match again.

Sri Lanka’s winning the toss in this test provides the eleventh occasion of Sri Lanka winning the toss against India. Its decision to bat first in this test provides the eighth occasion of Sri Lanka opting to bat first against India after it had won the toss.

TM Dilshan completed 1000 runs in the calendar year when he was on 28 during the course of his knock of 109 in this test. At the end of his innings, his aggregate stood at 1081. He became the fourth batsman to aggregate 1000 plus runs in the calendar year 2009, after TT Samaraweera {1234}, DPMD Jayawardene {1182} and AJ Strauss {1071}.

It is interesting to note that out of the four batsmen who have aggregated 1000 runs in the calendar year 2009, three of them are Sri Lankan batsmen – TT Samaraweera, DPMD Jayawardene and TM Dilshan.

TM Dilshan’s feat of 1000 runs in the calendar year 2009 provides the ninth occasion of a Sri Lankan batsman achieving the feat. Other batsmen who have achieved the feat are – PA de Silva, DPMD Jayawardene {twice}, ST Jayasuriya {twice}, TT Samarawera and KC Sangakkara {twice}.

TM Dilshan’s feat of 1000 runs in 2009 represents the 112^th occasion of a batsman aggregating 1000 plus runs in a calendar year in the annals of test cricket.

TM Dilshan registered his sixth hundred in the calendar year when he scored in the first innings of this test. He became the 13^th batsman in the annals of test cricket to score six or more hundreds in a calendar year. TM Dilshan’s six hundreds in the year 2009 read as under

No	Runs	Opp	Ground	Month	Year
1	162	Ban	Chittagong/ZACS	Jan	09
2	143	Ban	Chittagong/ZACS	Jan	09
3	145	Pak	Lahore	Mar	09
4	123*	NZl	Galle	Aug	09
5	112	Ind	Ahmedabad	Nov	09
6	109	Ind	Mumbai (BS)	Dec	09

TM Dilshan’s six hundreds represent the most hundreds by a batsman in the calendar year 2009

TM Dilshan is the second Sri Lankan batsman after PA de Silva to score six or more hundreds in a calendar year. PA de Silva had scored seven hundreds in the year 1997.

TM Dilshan’s 109 represent his third hundred against India. The other two hundreds are – 125* at Col-PSS in Jul 08 and 112 at Ahmedabad in Nov 09. He became the fifth Sri Lankan batsman to register three or more hundreds against India after DPMD Jayawardene {05}, PA de Silva {05}, ST Jayasuriya {03} and LRD Mendis {03}.

TM Dilshan’s 109 represent the 34^th hundred by a Sri Lankan batsman against India. His knock also represents the tenth occasion of a Sri Lankan opening batsman registering a hundred against India.

TM Dilshan became the third Sri Lankan opening batsman to score two or more hundreds against India. The other two are – ST Jayasuriya {03} and MS Atapattu {02}. TM Dilshan’s 112 at Ahmedabad in Nov 09 and 109 in this test have come when he was opening the innings for Sri Lanka.

TM Dilshan’s 109 in this test represent the 12^th occasion of a batsman scoring a hundred in a test innings at Brabourne Stadium. All the twelve hundreds are listed below

No	Batsmen	Runs	Team	Opp	Month	Year
1	AF Rae	104	Win	Ind	Dec	48
2	P Roy	140	Ind	Eng	Dec	51
3	MH Mankad	223	Ind	NZl	Dec	55
4	JW Burke	161	Aus	Ind	Oct	56
5	NJ Contractor	108	Ind	Aus	Jan	60
6	Hanif Mohd	160	Pak	Ind	Dec	60
7	GT Dowling	129	NZl	Ind	Mar	65
8	DN Sardesai	200*	Ind	NZl	Mar	65
9	CC Hunte	101	Win	Ind	Dec	66
10	KR Stackpole	103	Aus	Ind	Nov	69
11	FM Engineer	121	Ind	Eng	Feb	73
12	TM Dilshan	109	Srl	Ind	Dec	09

TM Dilshan with his 109 in this test became the seventh overseas batsman to register a hundred at Brabourne Stadium.

No	Batsmen	Runs	Team	Opp	Month	Year
1	AF Rae	104	Win	Ind	Dec	48
2	JW Burke	161	Aus	Ind	Oct	56
3	Hanif Mohd	160	Pak	Ind	Dec	60
4	GT Dowling	129	NZl	Ind	Mar	65
5	CC Hunte	101	Win	Ind	Dec	66
6	KR Stackpole	103	Aus	Ind	Nov	69
7	TM Dilshan	109	Srl	Ind	Dec	09

NT Paranavitana {53} and TM Dilshan {109} scored fifties in this test providing the third occasion of both the Sri Lankan openers registering fifties in an innings against India. The other two occasions are – S Wettimuny {79} and JR Ratnayake {93} at Kanpur in Dec 86 and ST Jayasuriya {50} and MS Atapattu {98} at Mumbai-WS in Dec 97.

NT Paranavitana {53} and TM Dilshan {109} scored half century and century respectively in this test providing the first occasion of the Sri Lankan openers registering a half century and a century in an innings against India.

R Dravid pouched his 187^th catch when he caught NT Paranwithana of Harbhajan Singh for 53.

MS Dhoni two catches at the end of the first day gave him an aggregate of 98 test catches. He dismissed KC Sangakkara of PP Ojha for 18 and KMDN Kulasekhara of Zahir Khan for 12 in this innings

NT Paranavithana provided the 46^th occasion for a caught dismissal for Dravid- Harbhhajan Singh {fielder-bowler} combination.

R Dravid becomes the only fielder in the world to pouch 46 plus catches of two bowlers – 55 of A Kumble’s bowling and 46 of Harbhajan Singh’s bowling. The following table lists out the bowler-fielder combination which has accounted for more than 46 dismissals in the annals of test cricket.

No	Bowler	Fielder	Team	Mat	Ct
1	M Muralitharan	M Jayawardene	Srl	94	73
2	A Kumble	R Dravid	Ind	107	55
3	SK Warne	MA Taylor	Aus	66	51
4	Harbhajan Singh	R Dravid	Ind	78	46

Harbhajan Singh conceded 107 runs in at the end of the first day’s play providing the 31^st occasion of an Indian bowler conceding 100 plus runs in a test innings against Sri Lanka.

Harbhajan Singh at the end of the first day’s play in this test has conceded 107 runs providing the seventh occasion of him conceding 100 plus runs against Sri Lanka thus owning the record for most occasion of an Indian bowler conceding 100 plus runs. He wrested the record from A Kumble who had leaked 100 plus runs on six occasions against Sri Lanka.

Harbhajan Singh at the end of the first day’s play in this test has conceded 107 runs providing the 34th occasion of his conceding 100 plus runs in a test innings against various oppositions. M Muralitharan {59}, A Kumble {57}, SK Warne {40}, Danish Kaneria {35} are the other four bowlers who have conceded 100 plus runs in a test innings more than Harbhajan Singh.

AD Mathews registered his second test half century when he made 86 not out at the end of the first day’s play of this test. It was also his highest individual score which was an improvement upon his previous best of 64 not out against Pakistan at Col-SSC in Jul 2009.