5 Lowest Scores By Team India In The History Of Test Cricket

Team India registered their lowest Test score on Saturday when they took on Australia in the second innings of the first Test match in the Border-Gavaskar trophy. The Indian batting collapse was a never-seen-before debacle. The India National Cricket Team has risen as a major batting powerhouse in world cricket in the last decade but the collapse against Australia will go on to haunt team India for a very long time.

This was India’s lowest total in a Test innings and today, we’ll discuss in detail the 5 lowest totals registered by the India National Cricket Team in Test cricket.

5 Lowest Scores By Team India In A Test Match

5. 66 vs South Africa- 1996

Team India won the toss in this match and elected to field first. In the first innings, the Proteas scored 235 runs as Andrew Hudson scored a half-century. Team India came back to score only 100 runs in the first innings, trailing by 135 runs.

South Africa posted another 259 runs in the third innings and India, failed miserably in the fourth innings as they got out on just 66 runs. Allan Donald broke the Indian batting line up as he clinched 4 wickets in the second innings.

4. 58 vs England- 1952

India took on England in Manchester as the hosts won the toss and elected to bat first. The Englishmen declared their first innings on a total of 347 runs for the loss of 9 wickets.

Team India, when they came out to bat, could manage only 58 runs in the first innings giving a massive lead to the hosts.

England invited the Men in Blue to follow on as they once again fell prey to the English bowlers and the entire team departed on just 82 runs, as the hosts went to win the game by an innings and 207 runs.

3. 58 vs Australia- 1947

The first of many Test matches between India and Australia took place in 1947 and in the Brisbane Test, the visitors were in all sorts of trouble when they came out to bat in the second innigs after the Kangaroos posted 382 runs for the loss of 9 wickets in the first innings.

The Men in Blue succumbed to the Australian pressure in the second innings as they could only manage to score only 58 runs as Ernie Toshback claimed 5 wickets. The Aussies invited their visitors to follow on and the second innings was also a disastrous performance as the visitors could only manage to score 98 runs, with the Aussies claiming the Test match by an innings and 226 runs.

2. 42 vs England- 1974

The famous Lord’s cricket ground became the witness to one of India’s poorest batting displays in Test cricket as the Men in Blue took on England. Having won the toss, England elected to bat first and managed to post a mammoth total of 629 runs in the first innings The visitors when they came out to bat in the second innings, showed great determination and scored 302 runs.

However, the dramatic collapse came when they were invited to follow on in the third innings as the world cricket witnessed a flurry of wickets when the visitors were bowled out for just 42 runs in 17 overs, handing a massive win to the Englishmen by an innings and 285 runs.

1. 36/9 vs Australia- 2020

The first Test of the Border-Gavaskar trophy in 2020n came as a disaster for team India as they pulled off one of the most humiliating records in their Test cricket history. Having won the toss, the Men in Blue elected to bat first and posted a total of 233 runs in the first innings.

The Indian bowlers staged a massive comeback in the second innings as they restricted the Kangaroos to just 191 runs. However, the debacle came about in the third innings when the Australian pacers disseminated the Indian batsmen and none of them could even reach to double figures.

Team India registered their lowest score in Test cricket history as they were restricted to 36/9 after Mohammed Shami, was ruled out retired hut.

This went on to become India’s lowest total in an innings of a Test match in their history of Test cricket.