How batting debacles have played out in Tests
This dataset shows that the odds are stacked against sides that experience such a debacle, especially in recent years
India’s first innings score of 46 in the ongoing Test match against New Zealand in Bengaluru is the 18th lowest innings score recorded by any team in 2,555 Test matches. It is also India’s lowest in 292 Tests at home. India are not the first team to construct an innings of batting that is essentially a write-off, and they won’t be the last. But what was the final outcome in such matches? How often have teams found a way back? How has this changed over time?
To answer this, we looked at the 100 lowest scores recorded in a Test innings (102 actually, as there are 7 innings with an identical total of 77 runs). This dataset shows that the odds are stacked against sides that experience such a debacle, especially in recent years. But, as is the nature of sport, there’s a sliver of hope — and it invokes the spirit of Ben Stokes in 2019.
