1st Day:

• Sourav Ganguly lost a toss for 26th time in his career. He now holds the dubious distinction of losing most tosses by an Indian captain. Ganguly was earlier at level with Sunil Gavaskar with 25 losses.
• Rahul Dravid equalled Sachin Tendulkar’s world record of most consecutive Test appearances since debut. Tendulkar had played 84 Test matches at a trot since his debut against Pakistan in 1989-90.
• Hashim Amla, right-handed batsman and right-arm medium pace bowler, became first player of Indian origin to play Test cricket for South Africa. Overall he is the 295th player to make a Test appearance for South Africa.
• Irfan Pathan (3-61) recorded his best bowling figures at home, surpassing his 1 for 38 against Australia at Bangalore last month. In his previous two Tests at home he had claimed only two wickets at an average of 84.00.
• Jacques Kallis (103 not out) scored 17th hundred of his Test career and first against India. His previous highest against India was 95 at Bangalore in 1999-00.
• This was also Kallis’ 100th score of 50 or more in first-class cricket.
• Kallis has now scored Test hundreds against as many as 8 countries. The only country against which Kallis has not been able to score a century is Sri Lanka. Kallis thus became the third South African batsman to score hundreds against 8 countries after Gary Kirsten and Herschelle Gibbs. Kirsten, in fact, is the only South African batsman to have scored hundreds against all other (9) Test playing countries.
• The 109-run partnership for the third wicket between Rudolph and Kallis is South Africa's best for this wicket in India, obliterating the 85-run partnership between Andrew Hall and Jacques Kallis at Kanpur in first Test of this series.

2nd Day:

• Jacques Kallis, just before getting out, completed his 1,000 runs in Test matches in calendar year 2004 – in his ninth Test and 16th innings.
• A total of 10 batsmen- West Indians Brian Lara, Chris Gayle & Ramnaresh Sarwan, Sri Lankans Sanath Jayasuriya & Kumar Sangakkara, Australians Damien Martyn, Matthew Hayden & Justin Langer and Indian Virender Sehwag- have aggregated 1,000 runs in 2004. Never before in cricket history so many batsmen aggregated 1,000 or more runs in a calendar year. The previous record was of a maximum of six batsmen performing this feat in 2001, 2002 and 2003.
• Kallis also became only the second South African batsman after Herschelle Gibbs to aggregate 1,000 runs in a calendar year on two separate occasions (Kallis had also aggregated 1,120 runs in 13 Tests in 2001). Gibbs had performed the feat in 2001 and 2003.
• The dismissal of Kallis was only the second ‘bowled’ dismissal for Ganguly. Out of the 25 wickets taken by Ganguly so far, 10 victims were caught behind, 7 caught in the field and 6 LBW. The only batsman (other than Kallis) bowled by Ganguly was Australia’s Mark Waugh in Sydney Test in 1999-00.
• The wicket of Shaun Pollock was 61st for Anil Kumble in the year 2004. With this he equalled England’s Steve Harmison’s tally to become the joint highest wicket-taker in 2004.
• Dinesh Karthik became the second Indian wicketkeeper to take four catches in an innings against South Africa after Nayan Mongia who did so twice- 5 catches in the first innings of the Durban Test in 1996-97 and 4 in the first innings of the Cape Town Test in the same series.
• The unbroken second wicket partnership of 112 runs between Sehwag and Dravid is India's best against South Africa in India obliterating the 76 between the same pair in the previous Test at Kanpur.

3rd day:

• Virender Sehwag (88) became the quickest Indian to aggregate 2,500 runs in Test cricket. Sehwag needed only 47 innings to reach this landmark, which are 3 less than Rahul Dravid, the previous record holder for India.
• In all Test cricket, Sehwag is the joint fifth fastest to aggregate 2,500 runs in a career after Don Bradman,Everton Weekes,Herbert Sutcliffe & Neil Harvey and alongwith Wally Hammond,Dennis Compton and Viv Richards.
• Sachin Tendulkar (20) has now aggregated 104 runs in his last nine innings. His sequence of scores since making unbeaten 194 against Pakistan at Multan in March this year are : 2, 8, 1, 8, 2, 5, 55, 3 & 20.
• Tendulkar has now played nine consecutive innings without scoring a century since his 194* against Pakistan at Multan earlier this year. He is now inching towards his longest lean patch. Tendulkar’s longest century-less sequence is of 13 consecutive innings - on two separate occasions. Tendulkar’s maiden Test century had come after 13 innings. Then again he played 13 innings between his century # 31 and 32.
• Rahul Dravid (80) was making a score of 80 (or more) without reaching to three-figure mark for the 15th time in his career. He has now equalled Australia’s Steve Waugh and West Indies’ Brian Lara’s tally of such scores. Now only one batsman – England’s Mike Atherton – is ahead of Dravid with 16 scores between 80 and 99. The following table lists the batsmen with most such scores. It will be observed that Dravid has the highest frequency of scores between 80 and 99.

  80-99   Batsman            For  Tests  Frequency
  16      Mike Atherton      Eng   115    13.91
  15      Steve Waugh        Aus   168     8.93
  15      Brian Lara         WI    112    13.39
  15      Rahul Dravid       In     84    17.86
  14      Ken Barrington     Eng    82    17.07
  14      Allan Border       Aus   156     8.97
  13      Colin Cowdrey      Eng   114    11.40
  13      Rohan Kanhai       WI     79    16.46
  13      Gordon Greenidge   WI    108    12.04
  

• The 51-run unbroken partnership between Dinesh Karthik and Irfan Pathan for the seventh wicket is India's highest against South Africa on Indian soil. The pair obliterated the previous best of 42 between Anil Kumble and Javagal Srinath at this same venue in 1996-97.

4th day:

• Shaun Pollock, during India's innings of 411, became 11th bowler (and only the fifth paceman) to bowl 1,000 or more maiden overs in Test cricket. Apart from Pollock, only, Kapil Dev,Curtly Ambrose, Courtney Walsh and Glenn McGrath have done the same in Tests. Incidentally Pollock has the highest percentage of maiden overs among his tribe, averaging 30.58. Behind him is McGrath with 30.04.
• The 19 leg-byes in Indian innings are the highest for India against South Africa. The previous record was of 15 leg-byes in the first innings of Johannesburg Test in 1996-97. Incidentally the 19 leg-byes are third highest conceded by South Africa in a Test innings.
• India, for the first time, posted 400-plus scores in two successive innings against South Africa. In Kanpur Test, India had made 466 in their only innings.
• South Africa, for the first time, conceded a lead of 100 or more runs in the first innings to India.
• Graeme Smith (71) became the fastest South African to complete 2,500 runs in Test cricket. Smith needed 48th innings to perform this feat, which is two less than AD Nourse’s – the previous record holder - tally. However Nourse still remains the fastest for South Africa in terms of Tests as he reached this landmark in his 27th Test. Smith is placed second with 28 Tests.
• Anil Kumble went one up on all Test bowlers in world cricket this year when he dismissed Boeta Dippenaar. It was his 62nd scalp of 2004, bettering England’s Steve Harmison's tally of 61 in 11 Tests and Australia’s Shane Warne's 61 in 10 Tests. Kumble is in the midst of his 10th Test.
• A look at the Kumble’s performance in 2004: He started the year by picking up 12 wickets in Sydney Test against Australia, Kumble then prised out 15 Pakistani batsmen during India’s maiden series win in Pakistan, got a career best 27 scalps in four Tests against Australians at home, and bowled with great heart on Kanpur’s lifeless track removing six South African batsmen. And his two wickets at the Eden Gardens have guided him to the very top of the ladder.
• Dippenaar's wicket was also Kumble's 432nd in Test Cricket, which takes him ahead of New Zealander Richard Hadlee's tally of 431 (in 86 Tests) and puts him into the sixth place in the all-time list of most successful bowlers. The list is headed by Shane Warne (552) and followed by Muttiah Muralitharan (532), Courtney Walsh (519), Glenn McGrath (463) and Kapil Dev (434).
• Jacques Kallis followed his first innings 121 with an unbeaten 52 in the second innings. He thus became second South African and only the 16th batsman to score a century and a fifty in the same Test against India in India. The details:

  Player        Inns1  Inns2  Total   For    Test  Venue         Series
  CF Walters       59    102    161   Eng    3rd   Chennai       1933-34
  CL Walcott       54    108    162   WI     3rd   Kolkata       1948-49
  EdeC Weekes     162    101    263   WI     3rd   Kolkata       1948-49
  KF Barrington   151*    52*   203   Eng	   1st   Bombay (WS)   1961-62
  CG Greenidge     93    107    200   WI     1st   Bangalore     1974-75
  AR Border       162     50    212   Aus	   1st   Chennai       1979-80
  LRD Mendis      105    105    210   SL     1st   Chennai       1982-83
  CG Greenidge    141     69    210   WI     3rd   Kolkata       1987-88
  A Flower        115     62*   177   Zim    1st   Delhi         1992-93
  JC Adams        174*    78*   252   WI     3rd   Mohali        1994-95
  G Kirsten       102    133    235   SA     2nd   Kolkata       1996-97
  A Flower        183*    70    253   Zim    1st   Delhi         2000-01
  A Flower         55    232*   287   Zim    2nd   Nagpur        2000-01
  NJ Astle        103     51*   154   NZ     1st   Ahmedabad     2003-04
  DR Martyn       114     97    211   Aus    3rd   Nagpur        2004-05
  JH Kallis       121     52*   173   SA     2nd   Kolkata       2004-05
  

• Harbhajan Singh (4-58) achieved his best figures against South Africa. His previous best against South Africa was 2 for 39 in the second innings of Kanpur Test last week.

5th Day:

• Shaun Pollock just managed to complete the all-round double of 3,000 runs and 300 wickets during his innings of 6. He became the fifth all-rounder in Test cricket history to complete this coveted 'Double' after England’s Ian Botham, Pakistan’s Imran Khan, New Zealand’s Richard Hadlee and India’s Kapil Dev.
• Pollock, however, is the slowest in terms of Tests taken to accomplish this feat having done so in his 87th Test. Botham remains the fastest with 72, followed by Imran (75), Hadlee (83) and Kapil (83).
• Harbhajan Singh’s figures of 7 for 87 in the second innings are the best for India against South Africa, obliterating Javagal Srinath's 6 for 21 at Ahmedabad in 1996-97.
• This was the fifth occasion Harbhajan was taking seven (or more) wickets in an innings. He thus equalled Kapil Dev and Anil Kumble’s record of most seven-wicket innings hauls for India.
• Harbhajan’s match figures of 9 for 141 are the best for India against South Africa in a home Test. Srinath had returned the figures of 8 for 68 in Ahmedabad Test in 1996-97, which were the previous best. However the record of best bowling for India in a match against South Africa – home or away – is still held by Venkatesh Prasad, who had the figures of 10 for 153 at Durban in 1996-97.
• Harbhajan has now taken his wicket tally to 29 (from just 4 games) at Eden Gardens, Kolkata to equal Bishan Singh Bedi’s record of most wickets on this ground. Bedi, however, played six Tests for his 29 wickets.
• Anil Kumble equalled Kapil Dev’s record of most wickets in a Test career for India when he had last man Makhaya Ntini caught in the slip (by Rahul Dravid). Kumble needed only 90 Tests as against Kapil Dev’s 131 to claim 434 wickets.
• Kumble has now taken 66 wickets in 16 Tests against South Africa – most for India. He surpassed former teammate Javagal Srinath’s tally of 64 wickets in 13 Tests.
• Sachin Tendulkar (32*) completed his 1,000 runs against South Africa with the shot that also sealed India’s victory. He was playing his 16th Test and 29th innings against South Africa. Tendulkar became first batsman in India-South Africa Tests to perform this feat.
• Tendulkar has now aggregated 1,000 runs against SIX countries – 1859 in 21 Tests v Australia, 1683 in 16 Tests v England, 1328 in 16 Tests v West Indies, 1124 in 13 Tests v Sri Lanka, 1062 in 16 Tests v New Zealand….and now 1,003 in 16 Tests v South Africa. Tendulkar’s feat of aggregating 1,000 runs against six countries is unparalleled in Test cricket. Three batsman – Allan Border, Steve Waugh and David Gower- have aggregated 1,000 runs against FIVE different countries.
• The win by 8 wickets is India’s only third against South Africa in 16 Tests. India’s only two other wins against South Africa came in the same series - by 64 runs at Ahmedabad in November 1996 and by 280 runs at Kanpur in December 1996.
• India have now registered Test wins against 8 countries under Sourav Ganguly’s captaincy. The only country against which Ganguly is yet to win India a Test is New Zealand.
• India’s 1-0 win is their second series win over South Africa. They had beaten South Africa 2-1 in a three match series in 1996-97.
• It is also India’s first series win in last two years at home. India had last beaten West Indies by 2-0 in 2002-03.
• Harbhajan Singh was winning a Man of the Match award for the fourth time in his career. His other MoM awards are- v Australia at Chennai in 2000-01, v Zimbabwe at Delhi in 2001-02 and v West Indies at Chennai in 2002-03.
• Virender Sehwag was adjudged Man of the Series for the second time in his career. His first and only other such award was against Pakistan in Pakistan in 2003-04.
• At the end of the series:
  • India’s overall playing record: played 380, won 79, lost 126, drawn 174 and tied one.
  • South Africa’s overall playing record: played 292, won 94, lost 104 and drawn 94.
  • Sourav Ganguly’s captaincy record: played 42, won 16, lost 12 and drawn 14.
  • Graeme Smith’s captaincy record: played 20, won 8, lost 6 and drawn 6.

(Article: Copyright © 2004 Rajneesh Gupta)