New Zealand vs India, 2nd Test: Ishant Sharma sets record for Indian pacer in New Zealand

Indian pacer Ishant Sharma put on his career-best performance of six for 51 against New Zealand on Day 1 of second Test in Basin Reserve at Wellington. With that performance, he added 15 wickets to his tally at an average of 14.20 in three innings and eclipsed the 13 wickets taken by three other Indian bowlers - Ramakant Desai in 1964-65, Javagal Srinath in 1999-00 and Zaheer Khan 2008-09. (Day 1 Report | Highlights | Scorecard)

# Ishant's aforesaid performance is his career-best in Tests, obliterating the six for 55 vs West Indies at Bridgetown in 2011.

# Ishant's excellent figures of six for 51 are the best by an Indian pacer in a Test innings in New Zealand, bettering his own record of six for 134 at Auckland in the first Test of the present series.

# Ishant is the only Indian fast bowler to take six wickets in a Test innings in New Zealand and that too twice.

# Overall, two Indian bowlers have bagged six wickets or more in a Test innings in New Zealand twice - Erapalli Prasanna (Dunedin, 1967-68 and Auckland 1975-76 and Ishant Sharma.

# In terms of averages, the aforesaid performance is Ishant's best in a Test series (minimum two Tests).

# Ishant is the second Indian medium-pace bowler to capture five wickets or more in an innings twice vs New Zealand in New Zealand in Tests. Zaheer is the only one to produce three five-wicket hauls in Tests in New Zealand - two at Wellington and one at Hamilton.

(Stats courtesy: Rajesh Kumar)