Indians will find it pretty hard to forget December 19, 2020, as it posted its lowest Test score ever (36). It was the lowest total posted by a country in the 21st century. The conditions were tough, the bowling was top notch and there was a timid approach from the batsmen which contributed to India’s disastrous score. India had built an overnight lead of 62 and had 9 wickets in hand going into the 3rd day. But nobody would have expected what transpired yesterday.
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What happened on 19th December, 2020?
The procession of Indian batsmen started one after the other and apart from a few soft dismissals, there was nothing much the team could have done. Mayank Agarwal who was dismissed for 9 ironically ended up being the highest run-scorer in the innings. Things got worse for India when their star pacer Mohammad Shami was hit by a Pat Cummins delivery and has been ruled out of the series. Many cricketing experts and fans were left in disbelief with India’s show on the 3rd morning of the 1st Test. The defeat ended Virat Kohli’s record of not losing a match after winning the toss. Going into the 2nd Test, India have a lot more questions than they have answers to.
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India’s score of 36 runs in a completed innings stands up right there among the lowest totals ever posted in Test cricket history. At one point they looked to not even post 26 which is to date the lowest Test score ever. As India were reeling having lost 6 wickets for 19 runs. A few shots from Wriddhiman Saha, Hanuma Vihari ensured that India at least reaches a total of 36. In this way, India avoided further embarrassment. An interesting note about India’s innings was that this was only the 2nd instance when none of the batsmen reached double figures. The last time this happened was in 1924 when South Africa was dismissed for 30 runs and 11 extras were the highest scorer.
We at Stumpsandbails bring you the lowest totals ever posted in Test history:
- 26 – NZ v ENG, Auckland, 1955
- 30 – SA v ENG, Port Elizabeth, 1896
- 30 – SA v ENG, Birmingham, 1924
- 35 – SA v ENG, Cape Town, 1899
- 36 – SA v AUS, Melbourne, 1932
- 36 – AUS v ENG, Birmingham, 1902
- 36 – IND v AUS, Adelaide, 2020*
- 38 – IRE v ENG, Lords, 2019
- 42 – NZ v AUS, Wellington, 1946
- 42 – AUS v ENG, Sydney, 1888
Below are the scores of India’s lowest ever totals in Test history:
- 36 v Australia, Adelaide, 2020*
- 42 v England, Lords, 1974
- 58 v Australia, Brisbane 1947
- 58 v England, Manchester, 1952
- 66 v South Africa, Durban, 1996
- 67 v Australia, Melbourne, 1948
- 75 v West Indies, Delhi, 1987
- 76 v South Africa, Ahmedabad, 2008
- 81 v West Indies, Bridgetown, 1997
- 81 v New Zealand, Wellington, 1976
