Day 1 of the second Test between South Africa and India was a tough one for batters. The event took place at the Newlands Stadium in Cape Town on January 3rd.
South African captain, Dean Elgar, won the toss and decided to bat first. That day, a whopping 23 wickets had fallen. Thanks to Mohammed Siraj and his fantastic six-wicket haul, India knocked out the South Africa who only scored 55.
Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, and Virat Kohli came in strong for India. They were heading towards a lead of over 200. But then, it was utter mayhem for Team India. From a stable 153/4, the visiting team got out at the same score.
South Africa pacers went through the Indian lineup, taking their last six wickets without allowing them to score a single run. This resulted in the joint-highest number of Indian batters dismissed for ducks in a Test innings-six different Indian hitters.
In light of this, let’s examine the five most Indian ducks in an innings throughout Test history.
5. 5 ducks vs New Zealand in Mohali in 1999
New Zealand had a fantastic start in Mohali during their 1999 three-match Test series trip of India. The Kiwis bowled India out for just 83 runs in the first session of the first Test.
Cricketer Dion Nash had an amazing day, getting his best ever stats of 6/27. He bowled out both starting players – Devang Gandhi and Sadagoppan Ramesh, who didn’t score. Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, and Sourav Ganguly were out quickly too.
Two wickets each were taken by Chris Cairns and Shayne O’Connor. This sent Vijay Bharadwaj, Sunil Joshi, and Venkatesh Prasad out without a run. Five players scored no runs. The best scorer that day was Javagal Srinath with 20 runs.
The game finished tied. The second time at bat, Sachin Tendulkar scored an unbroken 126 and Rahul Dravid scored an awesome 144.
4. 5 ducks vs England in Leeds in 1952
India lost five batsmen for a duck in the opening Test of their four-match Test series against England.
At Leeds’ Headingley Stadium, India scored a respectable 293 runs after opting to bat first. England’s first innings total of 334 runs gave them a 41-run advantage.
But to begin the second innings on the worst conceivable tone was India. Unbelievably, the visitors failed to score a run in their first four wicket losses. Vijay Manjrekar, Datta Gaekwad, Pankaj Roy, and Polly Umrigar were all out for ducks.
With half-centuries each, skipper Vijay Hazare (56) and Dattu Padhkar (64) saved the Indian innings. Gulabrai Ramchand eventually lost his wicket at zero as well, becoming the sixth player in the innings to be dismissed for a duck.
The match was eventually won by England with ease, seven wickets ahead.
3. 5 ducks vs Australia in Adelaide in 1948
India faced another Test match with five ducks, this time against Australia. It took place in Adelaide at the Adelaide Oval in 1948.
Australia held the reins, having scored a massive 674 in their first round. Captain Don Bradman shone, hitting 201 from just 296 balls. Sid Barnes (112) and Lindsay Hassett (198) added terrific hundreds to the tally as well.
India responded by amassing 381 runs till Australia imposed a follow-on. India lost five batsmen for ducks in their second innings. Lala Amarnath and Vinoo Mankad were removed without registering a run, but Vijay Hazare amassed a century.
The other players to be out for a duck were Commandur Rangachari, Khandu Rangnekar, and Gogumal Kishenchand. India lost the match by an innings and sixteen runs when they could only reach 277 in the second innings.
2. 6 ducks vs England in Manchester in 2014
With the series tied at one, the fourth Test match of India’s tour to England got underway. At the storied Lord’s Stadium, India defeated the hosts with the hopes of winning a historic series.
Nevertheless, the Indian squad was collapsing in the fourth Test, which was played in Manchester, as they had no response to the explosive English bowling.
Day 1 saw England dismiss India for 152 runs, primarily as a result of MS Dhoni’s choice to bat first. With just eight runs scored, India found themselves in a precarious situation after losing all four of their players: Murali Vijay (0), Gautam Gambhir (4), Cheteshwar Pujara (0), and Virat Kohli (0).
With a crucial 71, Dhoni then salvaged the Indian innings. Of the 152 runs India scored in the first innings, he scored more than 46% of them. Stuart Broad took a terrific 6/25, while Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Pankaj Singh were also sent back for ducks.
Six separate Indian hitters recorded ducks in a Test innings for the first time ever. India ultimately lost the Test match by a total of 54 runs, or an innings.
1. 6 ducks vs South Africa in Cape Town in 2024
In Cape Town, India’s most recent horror show saw them lose six wickets in only 11 balls. With consistent strikes, the South African pacers thoroughly outmatched the Indian batting order.
Virat Kohli’s 46 and Rohit Sharma’s scores in the 30s and 40s, respectively, looked like gold dust on a deadly Newlands pitch amidst all the commotion. Yashasvi Jaiswal struck out off South Africa bowler Kagiso Rabada’s bowling to start it all.
Prior to South Africa forcing their way into the contest, India was at 110/3. While Ravindra Jadeja (0) and Jasprit Bumrah (0) were taken off guard by an extra bounce, Shreyas Iyer nicked one to the wicketkeeper to be removed on zero.
Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna were the last two players to be South African pacers dismissed for a duck, as India managed to dismantle the South Africa for 55 in the opening session, but could only muster a 98-run advantage.
