The Indian cricket team lost by 8 wickets in the first match of the four-match Test series against Australia on Saturday 19 December. In the second innings, the entire Indian team collapsed for just 36 runs. This was India’s smallest score in Test history. According to records, on this date India holds the record for making its biggest score in Test history.
The day-night Test match played in Adelaide between India and Australia was recorded in the pages of history. India lost the match by 8 wickets and hosts Australia took a 1-0 lead in the series.
On the day, the Indian batting was completely exposed by the extra bounce generated by Australian pacers, who bowled every delivery on the off-middle channel after landing on the seam.
In an inexplicable collapse, India’s much vaunted batsmen fell like nine pins with not a single one able to reach double figures.
Once nightwatchman Jasprit Bumrah (2) was out in the first over, the home pacers, led by Josh Hazlewood (5-3-8-5) and Pat Cummins (10.2-4-21-4), literally decimated the tourists and also caused lasting damage to their already bruised egos.
The likes of Mayank Agarwal (9), Cheteshwar Pujara (0) and Ajinkya Rahane (0) were all out in similar fashion.
All the deliveries were almost identical, angled in, which forced the batsmen to jab at them and just bounced a wee bit more. They deviated a shade taking outside edges to Tim Paine behind the stumps.
Skipper Virat Kohli (4) was dismissed in the manner he used to get out in England back in 2014, trying to drive a delivery on the fifth stump and caught at gully.
What Indian batsmen didn’t factor in was the pitch suddenly becoming more livelier with extra bounce.
India made the Highest Test Score on December 19
India made their highest score in Test cricket on 19 December 2016. Playing against England in Chennai, the Indian team had set a record score on 19 December thanks to the triple century of Karun Nair. The Indian team declared the innings by scoring 759 runs at the loss of 7 wickets on the fourth day of the match. This match was won by India by a big margin of innings and 75 runs.
India made the Smallest Test Score on 19 December
India scored the smallest score in their Test history on December 19 in 2020. On the third day of the match, they started playing by 9 runs for 1 wicket and the entire team was all out for just 36 runs. Not a single batsman of the team could reach even the double figures. India’s highest score in the second innings was 9 runs, which was made by opener Mayank Agarwal.
‘Summer of 42 and aftermath’ – The Indian team’s lowest score in the Test was 42
46 years ago on 24 June 1974, The Indian cricket team collapsed against England at Lord’s ground. The Indian team’s score in the Test was 42. Then Chris Old of England took five and Geoff Arnold took four wickets. Both had wreaked havoc on the green pitch with a swing. Just like this, Josh Hazlewood took five wickets and Pat Cummins took four wickets in this match. Both of them destroyed Team India with seam bowling on a bouncy pitch. Madan Lal, a fast bowler who was involved in Team India 46 years ago, does not want to miss that experience.
Sunil Gavaskar in his book Sunny Days has written that Arnold started with two outswingers and then added inswinger. The ball hit Farukh Engineer’s pad. Ajit Wadekar was bowled by Old and Vishwanath’s wicketkeeper Alan Knott caught a brilliant catch.
Brijesh Patel succumbed to the rising ball which touched his glove and went to the keeper. The innings was settled by the time Gavaskar arrived. Solkar had a brilliant six off Old ball. Gavaskar wrote that Solkar came to the wicket at the end of the over and asked me to stay at the crease and save the match but that could not happen because I got lbw.
Madan Lal and Abid Ali had also played by the time I landed the leg guard. And by the time we got some sense, we were reduced to 42 runs. England won the match by an innings and 285 runs. And the series also took its name. After the match, the Indian team and captain Ajit Wadekar had to face a lot of insult. Despite being called to the party, the Indian High Commissioner asked the team to leave. The High Commissioner later hugged Ajit and apologized for being angry.
Team India never made a poor batting – Virat Kohli
On this poor performance of Team India, Indian captain Virat Kohli said, “I don’t think we have ever done a worse batting performance.” So we can only move forward from here and you will see that the players are making a move in this direction. The Indian captain tried his best to defend the team but it was difficult to defend the batting after the team scored less than 250 in the sixth consecutive Test innings abroad this year.
Virat Kohli said that to be honest, it is strange. There was not much movement in the ball but we did not show the courage to take the match further. When the Indian innings was reduced to just 21.2 overs, he said that everything happened so quickly that no one could understand anything. Except for the 2018 Australia tour under the captaincy of Virat Kohli, the Indian innings has been badly scattered at times. This is the sixth consecutive innings after New Zealand this year when the team failed to score big.
Captain Kohli said that there is nothing to worry about it. He said, I do not think there is anything worrying in this and we can sit here and make sesame palm, but it is about seeing all the things properly. Indian batting has been dealt cheaply in nearly 15 innings in South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia but the Indian captain remembers only six such innings in the last eight-nine years. He said that if I am not mistaken, AAP talked about disintegrating batting only five or six times in eight-nine years. This is not possible again and again and we have to accept our mistake and see which aspect to work on and move forward.
Smallest Test Scores in Records
| Team | Score | Overs | RR | Inns | Opposition | Ground | Match Date | Scorecard | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Zealand | 26 | 27.0 | 0.96 | 3 | v England | Auckland | 25 Mar 1955 | Test # 402 | |
| South Africa | 30 | 18.4×5 | 1.91 | 4 | v England | Port Elizabeth | 13 Feb 1896 | Test # 47 | |
| South Africa | 30 | 12.3 | 2.4 | 2 | v England | Birmingham | 14 Jun 1924 | Test # 153 | |
| South Africa | 35 | 22.4×5 | 1.84 | 4 | v England | Cape Town | 1 Apr 1899 | Test # 59 | |
| South Africa | 36 | 23.2 | 1.54 | 1 | v Australia | Melbourne | 12 Feb 1932 | Test # 216 | |
| Australia | 36 | 23.0 | 1.56 | 2 | v England | Birmingham | 29 May 1902 | Test # 70 | |
| India | 36 | 21.2 | 1.68 | 3 | v Australia | Adelaide | 17 Dec 2020 | Test # 2396 | |
| Ireland | 38 | 15.4 | 2.42 | 4 | v England | Lord’s | 24 Jul 2019 | Test # 2352 | |
| New Zealand | 42 | 39.0 | 1.07 | 1 | v Australia | Wellington | 29 Mar 1946 | Test # 275 | |
| Australia | 42 | 37.3×4 | 1.66 | 2 | v England | Sydney | 10 Feb 1888 | Test # 27 | |
| India | 42 | 17.0 | 2.47 | 3 | v England | Lord’s | 20 Jun 1974 | Test # 740 | |
| South Africa | 43 | 28.2×4 | 2.26 | 3 | v England | Cape Town | 25 Mar 1889 | Test # 32 | |
| Bangladesh | 43 | 18.4 | 2.3 | 1 | v West Indies | North Sound | 4 Jul 2018 | Test # 2310 | |
| Australia | 44 | 26.0×5 | 2.03 | 4 | v England | The Oval | 10 Aug 1896 | Test # 52 | |
| South Africa | 45 | 31.3 | 1.42 | 3 | v Australia | Melbourne | 12 Feb 1932 | Test # 216 | |
| England | 45 | 35.3×4 | 1.88 | 1 | v Australia | Sydney | 28 Jan 1887 | Test # 25 | |
| New Zealand | 45 | 19.2 | 2.32 | 1 | v South Africa | Cape Town | 2 Jan 2013 | Test # 2069 | |
| England | 46 | 19.1 | 2.4 | 4 | v West Indies | Port of Spain | 25 Mar 1994 | Test # 1257 | |
| New Zealand | 47 | 32.3 | 1.44 | 2 | v England | Lord’s | 19 Jun 1958 | Test # 455 | |
| South Africa | 47 | 47.1×4 | 1.49 | 2 | v England | Cape Town | 25 Mar 1889 | Test # 32 | |
| West Indies | 47 | 25.3 | 1.84 | 3 | v England | Kingston | 11 Mar 2004 | Test # 1687 | |
| Australia | 47 | 18.0 | 2.61 | 3 | v South Africa | Cape Town | 9 Nov 2011 | Test # 2016 | |
| Pakistan | 49 | 29.1 | 1.68 | 2 | v South Africa | Johannesburg | 1 Feb 2013 | Test # 2072 | |
| England | 51 | 33.2 | 1.53 | 3 | v West Indies | Kingston | 4 Feb 2009 | Test # 1906 | |
| Zimbabwe | 51 | 28.5 | 1.76 | 2 | v New Zealand | Napier | 26 Jan 2012 | Test # 2033 | |
| West Indies | 51 | 19.1 | 2.66 | 4 | v Australia | Port of Spain | 5 Mar 1999 | Test # 1448 | |
| England | 52 | 42.1 | 1.23 | 1 | v Australia | The Oval | 14 Aug 1948 | Test # 303 | |
| England | 53 | 50.0×4 | 1.59 | 2 | v Australia | Lord’s | 16 Jul 1888 | Test # 28 | |
| West Indies | 53 | 25.3 | 2.07 | 4 | v Pakistan | Faisalabad | 24 Oct 1986 | Test # 1055 | |
| Pakistan | 53 | 24.5 | 2.13 | 3 | v Australia | Sharjah | 11 Oct 2002 | Test # 1617 | |
| Australia | 53 | 22.3×5 | 2.81 | 1 | v England | Lord’s | 22 Jun 1896 | Test # 50 | |
| New Zealand | 54 | 32.2 | 1.67 | 3 | v Australia | Wellington | 29 Mar 1946 | Test # 275 | |
| Zimbabwe | 54 | 31.2 | 1.72 | 1 | v South Africa | Cape Town | 4 Mar 2005 | Test # 1737 | |
| West Indies | 54 | 26.4 | 2.02 | 3 | v England | Lord’s | 29 Jun 2000 | Test # 1503 | |
| India | 58 | 21.3×8 | 2.03 | 2 | v Australia | Brisbane | 28 Nov 1947 | Test # 290 | |
| South Africa | 58 | 26.1 | 2.21 | 1 | v England | Lord’s | 10 Jun 1912 | Test # 122 | |
| India | 58 | 21.4 | 2.67 | 2 | v England | Manchester | 17 Jul 1952 | Test # 353 | |
| England | 58 | 20.4 | 2.8 | 1 | v New Zealand | Auckland | 22 Mar 2018 | Test # 2299 | |
| Australia | 58 | 12.3×8 | 3.51 | 4 | v England | Brisbane | 4 Dec 1936 | Test # 255 | |
| Pakistan | 59 | 31.5 | 1.85 | 1 | v Australia | Sharjah | 11 Oct 2002 | Test # 1617 | |
| Zimbabwe | 59 | 29.4 | 1.98 | 2 | v New Zealand | Harare | 7 Aug 2005 | Test # 1759 | |
| Australia | 60 | 29.2×4 | 3.05 | 3 | v England | Lord’s | 16 Jul 1888 | Test # 28 | |
| Australia | 60 | 18.3 | 3.24 | 1 | v England | Nottingham | 6 Aug 2015 | Test # 2175 | |
| England | 61 | 31.2 | 1.94 | 2 | v Australia | Melbourne | 5 Mar 1904 | Test # 82 | |
| West Indies | 61 | 26.2 | 2.31 | 3 | v England | Leeds | 17 Aug 2000 | Test # 1508 | |
| England | 61 | 15.4 | 3.89 | 2 | v Australia | Melbourne | 1 Jan 1902 | Test # 66 | |
| England | 62 | 47.0×4 | 1.97 | 4 | v Australia | Lord’s | 16 Jul 1888 | Test # 28 | |
| Bangladesh | 62 | 25.2 | 2.44 | 1 | v Sri Lanka | Colombo (PSS) | 3 Jul 2007 | Test # 1838 | |
| Pakistan | 62 | 21.2 | 2.9 | 2 | v Australia | Perth | 13 Nov 1981 | Test # 909 | |
| Australia | 63 | 80.0×4 | 1.18 | 1 | v England | The Oval | 28 Aug 1882 | Test # 9 | |
| Zimbabwe | 63 | 47.0 | 1.34 | 4 | v West Indies | Port of Spain | 16 Mar 2000 | Test # 1490 | |
| England | 64 | 27.3×8 | 1.75 | 4 | v New Zealand | Wellington | 10 Feb 1978 | Test # 817 | |
| New Zealand | 65 | 37.6×8 | 1.29 | 1 | v England | Christchurch | 25 Feb 1971 | Test # 681 | |
| England | 65 | 38.5 | 1.67 | 2 | v Australia | Sydney | 1 Feb 1895 | Test # 45 | |
| Australia | 65 | 22.4 | 2.86 | 4 | v England | The Oval | 19 Aug 1912 | Test # 129 | |
| India | 66 | 34.1 | 1.93 | 4 | v South Africa | Durban | 26 Dec 1996 | Test # 1347 | |
| Australia | 66 | 25.3 | 2.58 | 4 | v England | Brisbane | 30 Nov 1928 | Test # 176 | |
| New Zealand | 67 | 59.1 | 1.13 | 1 | v England | Leeds | 3 Jul 1958 | Test # 456 | |
| New Zealand | 67 | 37.1 | 1.8 | 3 | v England | Lord’s | 24 Aug 1978 | Test # 830 | |
| India | 67 | 24.2×8 | 2.07 | 3 | v Australia | Melbourne | 6 Feb 1948 | Test # 295 | |
| England | 67 | 27.5 | 2.4 | 2 | v Australia | Leeds | 22 Aug 2019 | Test # 2357 | |
| Australia | 68 | 60.2×4 | 1.68 | 2 | v England | The Oval | 12 Aug 1886 | Test # 24 | |
| Zimbabwe | 68 | 30.1 | 2.25 | 2 | v South Africa | Port Elizabeth | 26 Dec 2017 | Test # 2290 | |
| New Zealand | 68 | 22.3 | 3.02 | 4 | v England | Lord’s | 16 May 2013 | Test # 2088 | |
| New Zealand | 70 | 39.2 | 1.77 | 1 | v Pakistan | Dhaka | 7 Nov 1955 | Test # 415 | |
| Australia | 70 | 31.1×4 | 3.36 | 3 | v England | Manchester | 30 Aug 1888 | Test # 30 | |
| England | 71 | 32.5 | 2.16 | 2 | v West Indies | Manchester | 8 Jul 1976 | Test # 779 | |
| Sri Lanka | 71 | 28.2 | 2.5 | 1 | v Pakistan | Kandy | 26 Aug 1994 | Test # 1267 | |
| South Africa | 72 | 50.1×8 | 1.07 | 4 | v England | Cape Town | 1 Jan 1957 | Test # 435 | |
| South Africa | 72 | 33.4×8 | 1.61 | 4 | v England | Johannesburg | 24 Dec 1956 | Test # 434 | |
| Pakistan | 72 | 39.3 | 1.82 | 1 | v England | Birmingham | 6 Aug 2010 | Test # 1969 | |
| England | 72 | 36.1 | 1.99 | 4 | v Pakistan | Abu Dhabi | 25 Jan 2012 | Test # 2032 | |
| Pakistan | 72 | 31.3 | 2.28 | 4 | v Australia | Perth | 16 Dec 2004 | Test # 1726 | |
| England | 72 | 29.1 | 2.46 | 3 | v Australia | Sydney | 1 Feb 1895 | Test # 45 | |
| New Zealand | 73 | 30.2 | 2.4 | 2 | v Pakistan | Lahore | 1 May 2002 | Test # 1600 | |
| South Africa | 73 | 28.5 | 2.53 | 4 | v Sri Lanka | Galle | 12 Jul 2018 | Test # 2311 | |
| Sri Lanka | 73 | 24.5 | 2.93 | 3 | v Pakistan | Kandy | 3 Apr 2006 | Test # 1796 | |
| New Zealand | 74 | 62.2 | 1.18 | 1 | v West Indies | Dunedin | 3 Feb 1956 | Test # 421 | |
| New Zealand | 74 | 50.3 | 1.46 | 3 | v England | Lord’s | 19 Jun 1958 | Test # 455 | |
| Australia | 74 | 46.0 | 1.6 | 1 | v England | Birmingham | 27 May 1909 | Test # 101 | |
| Pakistan | 74 | 33.0 | 2.24 | 2 | v England | Lord’s | 26 Aug 2010 | Test # 1971 | |
| South Africa | 75 | 44.4 | 1.67 | 4 | v England | Leeds | 29 Jul 1907 | Test # 94 | |
| England | 75 | 40.1 | 1.86 | 1 | v Australia | Melbourne | 29 Dec 1894 | Test # 43 | |
| Australia | 75 | 28.4×8 | 1.97 | 2 | v South Africa | Durban | 20 Jan 1950 | Test # 320 | |
| India | 75 | 30.5 | 2.43 | 1 | v West Indies | Delhi | 25 Nov 1987 | Test # 1080 | |
| England | 76 | 36.3 | 2.08 | 1 | v South Africa | Leeds | 29 Jul 1907 | Test # 94 | |
| West Indies | 76 | 36.3 | 2.08 | 2 | v Pakistan | Dhaka | 6 Mar 1959 | Test # 471 | |
| New Zealand | 76 | 36.2 | 2.09 | 3 | v Australia | Brisbane | 18 Nov 2004 | Test # 1721 | |
| Australia | 76 | 31.2 | 2.42 | 2 | v West Indies | Perth | 9 Nov 1984 | Test # 997 | |
| India | 76 | 20.0 | 3.8 | 1 | v South Africa | Ahmedabad | 3 Apr 2008 | Test # 1871 | |
| West Indies | 77 | 45.1 | 1.7 | 4 | v New Zealand | Auckland | 9 Mar 1956 | Test # 424 | |
| Pakistan | 77 | 44.5 | 1.71 | 3 | v West Indies | Lahore | 7 Nov 1986 | Test # 1056 | |
| England | 77 | 42.3 | 1.81 | 1 | v Australia | Lord’s | 19 Jun 1997 | Test # 1370 | |
| England | 77 | 55.0×4 | 2.1 | 4 | v Australia | The Oval | 28 Aug 1882 | Test # 9 | |
| England | 77 | 30.2 | 2.53 | 2 | v West Indies | Bridgetown | 23 Jan 2019 | Test # 2342 | |
| England | 77 | 39.1×4 | 2.94 | 3 | v Australia | Sydney | 14 Mar 1885 | Test # 20 | |
| West Indies | 78 | 29.6×8 | 1.96 | 2 | v Australia | Sydney | 25 Jan 1952 | Test # 347 | |
| Australia | 78 | 33.4 | 2.31 | 2 | v England | Lord’s | 20 Jun 1968 | Test # 638 | |
| New Zealand | 79 | 46.3×8 | 1.27 | 2 | v South Africa | Johannesburg | 29 Jan 1954 | Test # 381 | |
| New Zealand | 79 | 47.0 | 1.68 | 3 | v Pakistan | Rawalpindi | 27 Mar 1965 | Test # 585 | |
| Zimbabwe | 79 | 43.3 | 1.81 | 4 | v Sri Lanka | Galle | 12 Jan 2002 | Test # 1585 | |
| South Africa | 79 | 33.1 | 2.38 | 2 | v India | Nagpur | 25 Nov 2015 | Test # 2189 | |
| England | 79 | 28.2 | 2.78 | 4 | v Australia | Brisbane | 7 Nov 2002 | Test # 1623 | |
| Australia | 80 | 90.3×4 | 1.32 | 1 | v England | The Oval | 13 Aug 1888 | Test # 29 | |
| Australia | 80 | 53.1 | 1.5 | 1 | v Pakistan | Karachi | 11 Oct 1956 | Test # 430 | |
| South Africa | 80 | 32.0 | 2.5 | 4 | v Australia | Melbourne | 31 Dec 1910 | Test # 112 | |
| Australia | 80 | 23.7×8 | 2.51 | 2 | v England | Sydney | 18 Dec 1936 | Test # 256 | |
| Pakistan | 80 | 29.0 | 2.75 | 4 | v England | Nottingham | 29 Jul 2010 | Test # 1967 |
