Number Cruncher: Pujara shines but India's opening partnership woes against Sri Lanka continue

These are statistical highlights after the second day of the third Test between India and Sri Lanka. - Virat Kohli took his tally of runs in this series to 212 runs at an average of 42.40 in five innings to become the second Indian captain to manage 200 runs or more in a Test series in Sri Lanka. Sachin Tendulkar had amassed 290 runs at an average of 96.66 in three innings in 1997, including two hundreds. - In seven consecutive innings Indian opening pairs are without a partnership of 50 or more vs Sri Lanka - the sequence being 49 & 10 by Virender Sehwag and Murali Vijay at Colombo, PSS in 2010 followed by 14 & 12 by Shikhar Dhawan and Lokesh Rahul at Galle in the present series; 4 & 3 by Vijay and Rahul at Colombo (PSS) and 2 by Pujara and Rahul in the Colombo (PSS). [caption id=“attachment_2413458” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Cheteshwar Pujara and Amit Mishra were involved in a stand of 104- India’s highest eighth wicket partnership vs Sri Lanka in Tests. AFP[/caption] - Stuart Binny’s first duck vs Sri Lanka is his second in Tests. He had first recorded a duck vs England at Lord’s in July 2014. Of his nine Test innings, five are single-digit scores. He is averaging 18.12 in Tests - his aggregate being 145 with just one fifty - 78 vs England at Nottingham in 2014. - Cheteshwar Pujara and Amit Mishra were involved in a stand of 104- India’s highest eighth wicket partnership vs Sri Lanka in Tests, surpassing the 70 between Kapil Dev and Laxman Sivaramakrishnan at Colombo (PSS) in 1985. - Pujara enjoys an outstanding record in Tests in Asia - his tally being 1414 (ave.83.17) in 14 Tests, including six hundreds and three fifties. Amongst the batsmen with 1000 runs or more in Tests in Asia, his average is the highest. - Dhammika Prasad (4/83) has recorded his second best bowling performance vs India next only to the 4 for 43 in the second Test of the present series. - Naman Ojha and Pujara were involved in a stand of 54 - India’s second highest for the sixth wicket at Colombo, SSC next only to the 95 between Sachin Tendulkar and Mahendra Singh Dhoni in July 2010. - Cheteshwar Pujara (134 not out) has become the third Indian opening player to score a century vs Sri Lanka in Tests at Colombo (SSC). His innings is now the second highest by an Indian opener behind the 143 by Sadagoppan Ramesh in February 1999. Navjot Singh Sidhu had managed 104 in July 1993. - Virender Sehwag is the only Indian opener to register three hundreds in Sri Lanka, followed by two by Navjot Singh Sidhu and one each by Sadagoppan Ramesh and Lokesh Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan and Pujara. - Thanks to his unbeaten knock, Pujara is now averaging fifty-plus in Tests - his tally being 2208 in 49 innings at an average of 50.18. - Pujara’s second hundred away from home is his seventh in Tests - his first as an opening batsman. - Pujara has recorded centuries against all the six opponents - two vs England and one each vs Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, West Indies and Sri Lanka. - Amit Mishra became the first Indian number nine player to register a fifty vs Sri Lanka in Tests, surpassing Ajit Agarkar’s 48 at Ahmedabad in December 2005. - Mishra has posted three fifties in Tests - all away from home - his first two being 84 vs England at The Oval in 2011 and 50 vs Bangladesh at Chittagong in 2010 - Mishra’s overseas record is quite impressive - his tally being 409 in 14 innings at an average of 29.21, including three fifties. - For the second time, three partnerships between 50 and 55 have been recorded in the same Test innings for India - the first instance being vs Australia at Adelaide in 1967-68. PTI