The second Test in the 25th series between West Indies and India will be their 100th match since their first in India in 1948. The West Indies won the five-match series 1-0, winning the fourth Test in Chennai by an innings and 193 runs.
Everton Weekes dominated the batting scoring 779 runs in seven innings at an average of 111.28. He scored four centuries (128 first Test, 194 second Test, 162 and 101 third Test, 90 in the fourth Test and 56 and 48 in the fifth Test. Rusi Modi (560 runs) and Vijay Hazare (543 runs) were the principal run-getters for India. Prior Jones was the leading wicket-taker for the West Indies with 17 wickets. Gerry Gomez took 16 scalps while Vinoo Mankad led for India with 17 wickets.
The teams first played in the Caribbean in a five-match series in 1953. The West Indies won the series 1-0, winning the second Test at Kensington Oval, Barbados by 142 runs. Weekes led the batting with 716 runs in eight innings at an average of 102.28. He scored three centuries, 207, 165 and 109. In the fifth Test at Sabina Park, Jamaica, the 3 W’s all scored centuries (Frank Worrell 237, Weekes 109 and Clyde Walcott 118) as the West Indies amassed 576 in their first innings. The leading run scorers for India were Polly Umrigar's 560 runs and Madhav Apte's 460 runs. Alf Valentine was the lead wicket-taker with 28 scalps at 29.57 and Frank King 17 wickets. Subhash Gupte was the lead bowler for India with 27 wickets.
In the 24 series prior to the current series, the WI have won 12, India 10 and 2 have drawn. Since 2003, WI has lost all eight series. After 99 matches, the WI have won 30, India 23 and 46 have been drawn. In the West Indies (inclusive of the last Test) 52 matches have been played. The WI have 16, lost 10 and 26 have been drawn. In India, 47 matches have been played, the WI have won 14, lost 13 and 20 have been drawn.
Since 2003, 24 matches (inclusive of the last Test) have been played. India has won 15 and nine have been drawn. In the West Indies, 14 matches have been played, India has won seven and seven have been drawn. In India, the eight of the ten matches have been won by India and the other two drawn.
The leading batters in 99 Test matches are:
1 Sunil Gavaskar - 27 matches, 2,749 runs, HS, 236 not out (no) Av. 65.45, 13 centuries
2 Clive Lloyd - 28 matches, 2344 runs, HS, 242 no Av. 58.60, seven centuries
3 Shivnarine Chanderpaul - 25 matches, 2,171 runs, HS.140, Av.63.85, seven centuries
4 Rahul Dravid - 23 matches, 1,978 runs, HS. 146, Av, 63.80, five centuries
5 Viv Richards - 28 matches, 1,927 runs, HS. 192 no Av. 50.71, eight centuries
6 Garfield Sobers - 18 matches, 1,920 runs, HS. 198, Av. 83.47, eight centuries
7 VVS Laxman- 22 matches, 1715 runs, HS. 176* Av.57.16, 4 centuries
8 Rohan Kanhai- 18 matches, 1,693 runs, HS.256, Av. 62.70, four centuries
9 Gordon Greenidge- 23 matches, 1,678 runs, HS. 194, Av. 47.94, five centuries
10 Sachin Tendulkar- 21 matches, 1,630 runs, HS. 179, Av. 54.33, three centuries
11 Dilip Vengsarkar- 25 matches, 1,596 runs, HS. 159, Av.44.33, six centuries
12 Everton Weekes- 10 matches, 1,495 runs, HS.207, Av. 106.78, seven centuries
The highest individual scores are:
1 Rohan Kanhai- 256, Eden Gardens, 1958
2 Faoud Bacchus- 250, Kanpur, 1979
3 Clive Lloyd- 242 not out, Wankhede, 1975
4 Frank Worrell- 237, Kingston, 1953
5 Sunil Gavaskar- 236 not out, Chennai, 1983
6 Carl Hooper- 233, Georgetown, 2002
7 Sunil Gavaskar- 220, Port of Spain, 1971
8 Dilip Sardesi- 212, Kingston, 1971
9 Wasim Jaffer- 212, St John’s, 2006; 10 Everton Weekes- 207, Port of Spain, 1953
The leading centurions are: Gavaskar 13, Sobers and Richards with eight, Weekes, Chanderpaul and Lloyd with seven, Dilip Vengsarkar six and Hooper, Dravid and Greenidge with five.
The leading wicket takers are:
1 Kapil Dev - 25 matches, 89 wickets, Av.24.89, best bowling 9/83
2 Malcolm Marshall- 17 matches, 76 wickets, Av. 21.98, best bowling 6/37
3 Anil Kumble - 17 matches, 74 wickets, Av.29.78, best bowling 6/78
4 Ravichandran Ashwin - 12 matches, 72 wickets, Av. 20.20, best bowling 7/71
5 S Venkataraghavan - 23 matches, 68 wickets, Av.39.47, best bowling 5/95
6 Andy Roberts - 14 matches, 67 wickets, Av. 21.70, best bowling 7/64
7 Wes Hall - 13 matches, 65 wickets, Av. 18.78, best bowling 6/49
8 Courtney Walsh - 15 matches, 65 wickets, Av. 20.23, best bowling, 6/62
9 B Chandrasekhar -15 matches, 65 wickets, Av. 33.52, best bowling 7/157
10 Lance Gibbs - 15 matches, 63 wickets, Av.23.28, best bowling 8/38
Best bowling figures in an innings:
1 Kapil Dev- 9/83, Ahmedabad, 1983
2 Jack Noreiga - 9/95, Queen’s Park Oval, 1995
3 Subhash Gupte - 9/102, Kanpur, 1958
4 Lance Gibbs- 8/38, Kensington Oval, 1962
5 Narendra Hirwani- 8/61, Chennai, 1988
6 Narendra Hirwani - 8/75, Chennai, 1988
7 Harbhajan Singh - 7/48, Wankhede, 2002
8 Andy Robert - 7/64, Chennai, 1975
9 Ravichandran Ashwin - 7/71, Roseau, 2023
10 Ravichandran Ashwin- 7/83, North Sound, 2016
Jeffery Dujon has the most dismissals as a wicketkeeper with 60 (58 catches, two stumpings) followed by MS Dhoni with 48 (40 catches, eight stumpings), Syed Kirmani 36 (29 catches and seven stumpings), Deryck Murray 27 (24 catches and three stumpings) and Kiran More 21 (12 catches and nine stumpings).
