Virat Kohli. (Photo Source: Abhishek Chinnappa/Getty Images)
Team India took on New Zealand in the first Test of the series, at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, in Bengaluru. Notably, the Day 1 of the Test on Wednesday, October 16, was a washout without even a toss taking place, On Day 2, India won the toss and opted to bat first. But the hosts’ strong batting lineup crumbled in front of the Kiwi pace attack as the visitors made most of the overcast conditions.
William O’Rourke and Matt Henry cut through the formidable top and middle order as India managed their lowest score at home and second-lowest total overall, scoring just 46 runs. Moreover, Virat Kohli batting at number three, registered a nine-ball duck and joined the unwanted list of Indians with the most number of ducks in international cricket.
Here’s the list of Indians with most ducks in International cricket:
5. Anil Kumble
Anil Kumble. (Photo Source: X(Twitter)
Anil Kumble was a phenomenal bowler for India in Tests. The spinner is the highest wicket-taker for India across formats with 956 wickets. He is the highest wicket-taker for India in Tests with 619 scalps and is also the fastest to breach the 600 Test wicket mark as he took only 124 matches to do so. He has the second-best bowling figures in Tests as he claimed 10 10-wicket haul against Pakistan in 1999, conceding just 74 runs in an innings.
Very few know that the veteran cricketer has one Ton and five half-centuries to his name in the longer format. But the Karnataka-born cricketer holds the fifth spot in the list of most ducks for India in international cricket. He has batted in 307 innings and has been out without scoring 37 times.
4. Harbhajan Singh
Harbhajan Singh (Source:Twitter/X)
India’s offspin wizard Harbhajan Singh rose to the echelons of Indian cricket after he secured a hat-trick against touring Australia in the 2001 Kolkata Test. With that, he became the first India to claim a hat-trick in Test cricket. He is the only Indian bowler to take four consecutive five-wicket hauls in Test cricket. Other than his bowling he was an unofficial bowling all-rounder for the team and the camp relied on him during early loss of wickets.
It is worth noting that the right-arm spinner is the only batter to score two centuries in the same series while batting at number 8 or lower. Other than his two Tons, he has scored nine half-centuries. But the Punjab-born has occupied the fourth spot on the above-mentioned list. He has batted in 284 innings and has scored 37 ducks across formats.
3. Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli 2014 Test Cricket. (Source – Twitter/X)
The surprise mentioned in the list is India’s one of greatest white-ball batters, Virat Kohli. The star batter is counted as the able successor for the legendary Sachin Tendulkar as he surpassed his 49 centuries in ODI cricket in 2023. He has also been a lawnmower in the longer format with 29 centuries and 30 half centuries.
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The former India captain has scored 13,906 runs in ODIs, 4,188 runs in T20Is, and 8,947 runs in Tests. But these achievements have come at a price as the Delhi-batter is third on the list of most ducks for India. He has batted in 596 innings till now in his career and has failed to get off the mark 38 times.
2. Ishant Sharma
Ishant Sharma. (Photo by Nigel French/PA Images via Getty Images)
Ishant Sharma is one of the most lethal pacers India ever produced. The pacer was a beast in the overseas conditions. He is the second Indian, after Kapil Dev, to pick six or more wickets four times during an overseas Test match. He is the fifth fastest to reach 100 Test wickets.
The Delhi pacer has also been in the circumstances where had to show resistance with the bat. He has batted in 173 innings and has got out on zero 40 times making him the second on the list. It is worth noting that the right-handed pacer also had one half-century in Tests.
1. Zaheer Khan
Indian bowling stalwart Zaheer Khan is the second-fastest Indian bowler to take 250 wickets in ODIs. He has over 300 wickets in Test cricket and the right-arm pace featured for India in 200 ODIs, 92 Tests, and 17 T20Is. He held the record for most wickets for India in a World Cup edition until Mohammed Shami surpassed the feat in World Cup 2023.
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The Left-arm pacer is also one of the few players to fetch 1000 runs and 100 wickets in the longer format. He has 311 scalps and 1231 runs in 92 red-ball games played for India. However, the 42-year-old tops the unwanted list having batted in 227 innings across formats and registering 43 ducks in his international career.