Stats Analysis

Sri Lanka's comeback and Herath's seven

Statistical highlights from the fourth day of the first Test between Sri Lanka and India in Galle

Bishen Jeswant
Bishen Jeswant
15-Aug-2015
Rangana Herath exults after trapping Ishant Sharma lbw, Sri Lanka v India, 1st Test, Galle, 4th day, August 15, 2015

Rangana Herath became the oldest Sri Lankan to take a seven-wicket haul in Tests  •  AFP

1 Number of previous instances out of 21 attempts of India failing to achieve a target of less than 200 in the fourth innings of a Test - when they were chasing 120 against West Indies at Bridgetown in 1997.
192 The lead conceded by Sri Lanka at the end of the first innings, their biggest when winning a Test. The record is held by Australia, when they overcame a 291-run deficit against Sri Lanka in 1992. Excluding Pakistan's forfeiture at The Oval in 2006, this is only the eighth instance of a team winning a Test despite a first-innings deficit of 190 or more. (Click here for such instances when the team batting first won the Test, and here for wins by the team batting second.)
112 India's total in the second innings, their lowest score in or against Sri Lanka. Their previous lowest score in Sri Lanka was 138 at the SSC in 2008. Three out of India's four lowest scores in Sri Lanka have come in Galle.
270 Test wickets taken by Rangana Herath, the third-most for any left-arm spinner after Daniel Vettori (362) and Derek Underwood (297). Herath went past Bishan Bedi (266) during his seven-wicket haul in the fourth innings of this Test.
22 Number of five-wicket hauls taken by Herath in Tests, going past Clarrie Grimmett (21). He is now among the top-five spinners with the most five-wicket hauls after Muttiah Muralitharan (67), Shane Warne (37), Anil Kumble (35) and Harbhajan Singh (25).
7-48 Herath's figures in the fourth innings, the second-best for any bowler in a Test innings in Galle, after Muralitharan (7-46) against England in 2003.
5 Number of innings per five-wicket haul for Herath, the fifth-fewest for any bowler in Test history (min. 20 five-fors). He has taken 22 five-wicket hauls from 110 innings (61 Tests). The four bowlers to take five-wickets hauls at a greater frequency than Herath are Sydney Barnes (24 in 50 innings), Grimmett (21 in 67), Muralitharan (67 in 230) and Richard Hadlee (36 in 150).
37 Herath's age, making him the oldest Sri Lanka bowler to take a seven-wicket haul in Tests. Herath and Muralitharan are the only Sri Lanka bowlers to take more than one five-wicket haul after the age of 35.
35 Number of dot-balls played by Shikhar Dhawan at the start of the fourth day. His first runs came when he inside-edged his 36th ball for a boundary.

Bishen Jeswant is a stats sub editor at ESPNcricinfo