In any form of cricket, one thing that a batsman doesn't like is getting out for a duck. It is also a fact in T20 cricket and IPL. There are some instances when a player gets nervous in the first few balls and often goes to the pavilion without scoring a run in such cases. That is one of the reasons why players get relief when they get their first run of the innings.

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After his duck against Rajasthan Royals, at Wankhede, on Monday, in IPL 2024, Rohit Sharma now has equalled the record for the most ducks in IPL history. Dinesh Karthik, in IPL 2023 had scored his 17 IPL duck and now the Indian captain has matched his unwanted record. Piyush Chawla, Mandeep Singh, Glenn Maxwell and Sunil Narine follow them on the list with 15 IPL ducks. Ambati Rayudu shares the next spot with Manish Pandey and Rashid Khan with 14 IPL ducks. Harbhajan Singh, Parthiv Patel, and Ajinkya Rahane have 13 IPL ducks against their names.

Players with the most ducks in IPL

In the second Test being played between India and Australia, the Indian captain Rohit Sharma was out after scoring just 3 runs off 23 balls in the first innings. He was dismissed by Scott Boland in the first inning, which raised the question on his test form again.

In the last 11 Test innings, Rohit has not been able to score any big runs. Rohit was unavailable for the first test and joined the team for the second test after the birth of his new born son. However, he was not back at his favourite position as KL Rahul's good show at the top of the order made him come down to middle order for the pink ball test.

Also Read: Most five-wicket hauls amongst left-arm pacers in Tests

To evaluate Hitman’s performance, it’s important to examine Rohit Sharma's scores in the last 10 Test innings and analyze what the statistics reveal.

Rohit Sharma's scores | Last 10 Matches

In the last 11 innings, Rohit Sharma's scores have been 6, 5, 23, 8, 2, 52, 0, 8,18, 11, and 3. During this period his average has been only 12.36. He scored his last Test century (103) against England in March 2024 in the fifth Test of the home series. 

37-year-old batter has played 12 tests in the year 2024 and only scored 91 runs in 22 innings at an average of 28.14 with 2 centuries and 2 half-centuries to his name. Rohit needs to improve his performance to prove that he still has cricket left in him and can be an asset in the crucial Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2025.

Read Also: Most Runs for India in Pink Ball Test

Rohit Sharma's Test Career

Rohit played his first test match in 2013 against the West Indies. He has played 65 matches for India so far and scored 4,273 runs in 112 innings at an average of 41.89.

He has scored 12 centuries and 18 half-centuries with his bat in the longest format. His best score has been 212and he has scored the most runs (1,1147) in his Test career against England.

In Test cricket, just as a batsman's century is considered important, similarly a bowler's 5 wicket haul is also seen as an achievement. In the second test match being played between Australia and India in Adelaide, the Indian Cricket Team was reduced to only 180 runs. For Australia, Mitchell Starc bowled strongly and took 6 wickets. This is Starc's best performance in an innings in Test. He took 6 wickets for 48 runs in 14.1 overs. Starc has taken five or more wickets against India for the first time in Test. With this, Starc moves to 15 five-wicket hauls in Tests, only behind legendary Wasim Akram. Let's take a look at the top 4 left-arm pacers with most five-wicket hauls.

Also Read: Most Wickets for India in Pink Ball Test

Most five-wicket hauls in Test | Top 4 left-arm pacers

1# Wasim Akram | 25

Wasim Akram, considered one of the greatest left-arm fast bowlers of all time, has the most five-wicket hauls amongst left-arm pacers in Tests. He took 25 five-wicket hauls in 181 innings of 104 Test matches for Pakistan. He was renowned for his swing and the 'Sultan of Swing' played Test cricket from 1985-2002 claiming 414 Test wickets.

2# Mitchell Starc | 15*

Star Australia fast bowler Mitchell Starc surpassed former Australian pacer Alan Davidson in most five-wicket hauls amongst left-arm pacers in Tests. He took 15 five-wicket hauls in Test cricket. Having played 91 games, he has picked a total of 367 wickets at an average of 27.53. 226 of his wickets have come at home at 26. Earlier this year, Starc became only the fifth Australian bowler to achieve 350 wickets in Test cricket. He joined an elite list that includes the legendary Shane Warne and Brett Lee.

3# Alan Davidson | 14

Australia’s Alan Davidson was magnificent between 1953 and 1963, with injuries unfortunately costing him more matches. In 44 Tests, the left-arm pace bowler took a brilliant 14 five-wicket hauls, part of his 186 wickets at an average of 20.53. He also scored 1,328 Test runs at an average of 24.59. Davidson starred in the 1960 tied Test against West Indies. He took 11 wickets (5/135 and 6/87) and was magnificent with the bat as well (44 and 80). A true superstar of the game.

4# Chaminda Vaas | 12

Chaminda Vaas, a former Sri Lankan cricketer and current fast bowling coach of the Sri Lankan team, took 12 five-wicket hauls and twice 10 wickets in a match. Vaas, who made his Test debut against Pakistan at Kandy in 1994, claimed 354 wickets at an average of 29.40. He has a total of 16 five-wicket hauls to his name, with twelve in Tests and four in ODIs. 

Imagine what you're doing at the age of 13. You probably were going to a school or playing at a local sports academy. But can you imagine at 13 years old age you can become a crorepati in India playing professional cricket? Yes, you can if you are Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who was picked by Rajasthan Royals at a whooping 1.10 crore rupees in the recently concluded IPL 2025 mega auction.

After the mega auction, Vaibhav was a household name in India. But, you will be shocked knowing that he has been playing cricket under BCCI since the age of eight and has already played at the first-class level. He has already featured in five first-class matches and played a T20 game for Bihar earlier this year.

Moreover, he became the youngest overall and fastest India centurion in Youth Test Cricket's history, when he slammed a 58-ball ton in an unofficial test against Australia at M.A Chidambaram earlier this year.

After his record-breaking inning, Sportz Point got to have a word with the young sensation during the Bengal vs Bihar Ranji Trophy match, which was called off due to rain and wet outfield. Vaibhav at that time had revealed that all of his aggression and quick scoring come naturally to him and he is a great fan of Brian Lara. As a left-handed batter, he loves to watch the former West Indian legend's old highlights and how he used to dominate bowlers during his era.

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Vaibhav has been getting support from his family, friends and coaches from an early age to get where he is currently. Bihar's head coach Ashok Kumar is one of those coaches who has helped the teenager to be able to come this far now. After his record-breaking IPL deal with Rajasthan Royals, Sportz Point got to know more about Vaibhav via Ashok Kumar.

A few players like Akash Deep and Mukesh Kumar, who are actually from Bihar, had to move to Kolkata for better opportunities in cricket. Due to the lack of infrastructure and exposure, many players from the state have gone unnoticed in recent decades. But, this was not the case for a sensational talent like Vaibhav and for that, Ashok Kumar wants to thank the Bihar Cricket Association for giving this "once in a generation" talent a chance so early.

"Congrats to Vaihav. He is a great talent we all know. I have been watching him since he got the chance in the Bihar U-19 team. Watching this kid grow as a player, has been remarkable for me and everyone in Bihar," Ashok Kumar told Sportz Point.

"But, I want to thank and congratulate everyone associated with Bihar Cricket Association for identifying this talent and giving him a chance so early in his career," he added.

Vaibhav from his early days had the skill and temperament to dominate senior bowlers and score big runs. He burst onto the scene with an unbeaten 332 in a U-19 tournament in Bihar;  Randhir Verma Tournament. Ashok Kumar wants Vaibhav to continue with the intent which has helped him so far.

"I have been fortunate to coach the Bihar U-19 and senior team and have seen him up and close in the last few years. I know, with time, many teams will try to watch out for a weakness in his batting. But, the only thing that I always advise him is to keep the intent he has as a batter. He is not afraid of any bowler and his natural ability to hit bowlers will take him very far in his career," Ashok Kumar expressed.

Vaibhav's father Sanjeev Suryavanshi has been his formal coach. He also consults Wasim Jaffer from time to time for advice, whom he had met during a U-19 tournament in Bangladesh in November 2023. Luckily for the youngster, he will now be coached by former Indian Men's team head coach Rahul Dravid, who has developed many U-19 stars into future Indian players during his time with the U-19 and senior team.

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Also, Rahul Dravid and Rajasthan Royals were the franchise that gave young Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Riyan Parag an early chance in the Indian Premier League to showcase their talent. Ashok Kumar feels, that having Rahul Dravid as his coach will only enhance him as an overall player and a human being.

"With Rahul Dravid sir, we all know Vaibhav will learn a lot of great things about his game and I feel his time at the Rajasthan Royals will help him be more disciplined as well. Rajasthan Royals have helped a lot of young players in the past and I am hopeful Vaibhav will also emerge as one of the stars from the franchise," Ashok Kumar stated.

"Vaibhav's presence in the Indian Premier League and the U-19 team will influence many kids in the state to play cricket. They will now believe that if you have the talent and work hard on it, anyone can play at the highest level even from states like Bihar. I feel, a brighter time coming for Bihar State Cricket, via champion players like Vaibhav." 

Pink Ball Test, a five-day match contested under lights like a One Day International, was first held in November 2015 after a lot of trials in First-Class cricket across the globe. Day-Night Test was introduced to add more to the longer format as white-ball especially the T20s has taken over the game with crowds preferring the shorter format.

Also Read: Most Runs for India in Pink Ball Test

India are set to play their second Test match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Adelaide. After winning the Perth Test match by a massive margin of 295 runs, India will face Australia against the pink ball, under lights. So before the start of the series, let's take a look at the Indian bowlers who took the most wickets in the Pink Ball Test. 

1# Ravichandran Ashwin | 18 Wickets

Ravichandran Ashwin is the highest wicket taker for India in the pink ball test. He appeared in all 4 of India's matches, taking 18 wickets at an average of 13.83. In his Test career, he played 105 matches, in which he took 536 wickets at an average of 23.95. Meanwhile, he has taken 5 wickets in 37 innings. Ashwin did not play in the first Test of the current series.

2# Axar Patel | 14 Wickets

Left-arm spinner Axar Patel has played only 2 matches with the pink ball, taking 14 wickets with a strong average of 9.14. In 2021, he took a total of 11 wickets in the day-night test played against England in Ahmedabad. He took 5 wickets in both the innings. In his Test career so far, Axar has taken 55 wickets in 14 matches at an average of 19.34.

3# Umesh Yadav | 11 Wickets

Indian fast bowler Umesh Yadav has also had a strong performance in the day-night test. The Indian fast bowler has taken 11 wickets in 2 matches with an excellent average of 15.54. In his Test career, Umesh has played 57 matches, in which he has taken 170 wickets at an average of 30.95. He is currently out of the Indian team. Umesh played his last Test in 2023.

4# Jasprit Bumrah | 10 Wickets

Jasprit Bumrah, who led the Indian team on the first test, has taken 10 wickets in the pink ball test. Bumrah has taken 10 wickets in 3 day-night tests. He took 5 wicket haul against Sri Lanka. Bumrah is currently on Australia tour. He took a total of 8 wickets in the first Perth Test of the series.

5# Ishant Sharma | 10 Wickets

Ishant Sharma has also taken 10 wickets each in the Pink Ball Test. Ishant took 10 wickets in 2 tests. He took a total of 9 wickets in the match against Bangladesh. He is currently out of the Indian team. Ishant played his last Test in 2021.

Pink Ball Test, a five-day match contested under lights like a One Day International, was first held in November 2015 after a lot of trials in First-Class cricket across the globe. Day-Night Test was introduced to add more to the longer format as white-ball especially the T20s has taken over the game with crowds preferring the shorter format.

Also Read: Border–Gavaskar Trophy: India's record in Pink Ball Test

India are set to play their second Test match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Adelaide. After winning the Perth Test match by a massive margin of 295 runs, India will face Australia against the pink ball, under lights. So before the start of the series, let's take a look at the Indian batters who scored the most runs in the Pink Ball Test. 

1# Virat Kohli | 277 Runs

Former Indian skipper Virat Kohli has a fine record against the pink-ball, having played all of India's four pink-ball matches so far. He leads the scoring chart in pink ball Test cricket for India. In six innings so far, he has scored 277 runs at an average of 46.16, with a century and fifty. His knock of 136* against Bangladesh in 2019 at Kolkata is the only century by an Indian in a pink-ball Test.

After having overcome a lean patch of form with a century at Perth, Virat would be raring to continue his golden run in Australia and at the Adelaide Oval.

2# Rohit Sharma | 173 Runs

Indian team captain Rohit Sharma comes second on the list scoring just one half-century in Pink Ball Tests, accumulating 173 runs in five matches at an average of 39. This will be Rohit Sharma’s first Day-Night Test match on foreign soil, as all three of his previous Pink Ball Tests were played in India. 

As an opener, Rohit will need to weather the new ball, especially during twilight and night sessions when the pink ball is at its most ferocious. It will be quite interesting to see how Rohit goes about his business in the upcoming game.

3# Shreyas Iyer | 159 Runs

Shreyas Iyer has played just one day-night Test match and has scored 159 runs in it. He put up knocks of 92 and 67 in the second test between India and Sri Lanka in 2022. India were 86/4 after electing to bat. Iyer shone with a blistering 92 off 98 deliveries, whipping 10 fours and four maximums. He played with the tail-enders and was the last man to be dismissed (252/10). India eventually won by 238 runs.

4# Ajinkya Rahane | 100 Runs

Ajinkya Rahane comes in 4th place with 100 runs in 3 matches. Rahane also scored a half-century against Bangladesh in 2019.

5# Cheteshwar Pujara | 98 Runs

Cheteshwar Pujara is 5th on this list. He has amassed just 98 runs in 3 day-night Test matches. Pujara put up knocks of 55 and 43 against Bangladesh and Australia respectively.