New Zealand vs India, 2nd Test Day 2 stats: Rahane, Dhoni help tourists improve 1st innings batting record on tours

The second day of the 2nd Test match belonged to rising Indian batsman Ajinkya Rahane, who scored his maiden hundred, bettering the 96 he scored vs South Africa at Durban in December 2013. He scored 118 off 158 balls to help India reach 438 in response to New Zealand's first innings score of 192. New Zealand were placed at 24/1 at stumps on Day 2 and they trail the visitors by 222 runs.

# India (438) have recorded their highest total at Basin Reserve, Wellington, bettering the 434 for seven wickets declared in April 2009.

# India's run-rate of 4.26 is their second highest outside the sub-continent (minimum 400) - the highest being 4.61 during their total of 482 off 104.3 overs vs New Zealand at Auckland in February 1990.  

# The last instance when India amassed more than 400 in the first innings outside the sub-continent was - 520 vs New Zealand at Hamilton in March 2009.

# India have taken a first innings lead of 246 against New Zealand - their highest in New Zealand in the first innings. Overall, the said lead is their second highest vs New Zealand in the first innings in Tests, next only to the 376-run lead in the Nagpur Test in November 2010.  

# The last occasion India had a first innings lead of 200 or more outside the sub-continent was vs New Zealand at Hamilton in 2008-09.

# Shikhar Dhawan (98 off 127 balls) has recorded his third highest innings in Tests, next only to the 187 on debut vs Australia in March 2013 and 115 vs New Zealand at Auckland in February last month.

# Dhawan is the fifth Indian batsman to register a score in the nervous nineties vs New Zealand in New Zealand in Tests, joining Rusi Surti (99 at Auckland in March 1968), Navjot Singh Sidhu (98 at Hamilton in March 1994), W.V.Raman (96 at Christchurch in February 1990) and Manoj Prabhakar (95 at Napier in February 1990).

# Dhawan has managed 213 runs at an average of 71.00, including a hundred and a 90-plus - the most by an Indian batsman in the present series.  For the first time in a Test series, he has amassed 200 runs or more.

# Ishant Sharma (26 off 50 balls) has posted his highest Test score outside the sub-continent apart from recording his highest vs New Zealand.

# Ishant's strike rate of 52.00 is his highest in Tests (minimum 25).

# Virat Kohli (38) is averaging 64.20 vs New Zealand in Tests. His aggregate of 321 includes a hundred and three fifties in six innings.

# Rohit Sharma's first duck vs New Zealand is his second in Tests.

# Ajinkya Rahane (118 off 158 balls) has registered his highest Test score - his maiden hundred, obliterating the 96 vs South Africa at Durban in December 2013.  Overall, he has recorded three innings of fifty-plus in Tests.

# Rahane is the fifth Indian batsman to post a Test hundred at Basin Reserve, Wellington, joining Gautam Gambhir (167 in April 2009), Ajit Wadekar (143 in February/March 1968), Sachin Tendulkar (113 in December 1998) and Mohammad Azharuddin (103 not out in December 1998).

# Rahane's strike rate of 74.68 is his highest in a Test innings (minimum fifty).

# Rahane has become the fifth Indian number seven batsman to post a hundred away from home - Kapil Dev being the only one to register two hundreds - one each at Port Elizabeth and Port of Spain.  Mohammad Azharuddin was the last Indian number seven batsman to post a hundred away from home - 115 vs South Africa at Cape Town in January 1997.

# The last Indian number seven batsman to register a hundred away from home was Mahendra Singh Dhoni - 100 not out vs Sri Lanka at Mumbai (BS) in December 2009.

# Mahendra Singh Dhoni (68), since posting a career-best 224 vs Australia at Chennai in February 2013, has recorded his first Test fifty in 14 innings.  The said innings is his highest in New Zealand in Tests.

# Dhoni has recorded his third fifty in successive innings at Basin Reserve, Wellington - his sequence of scores being 52 & 56 not out in April 2009 and 68 in the present Test.  All his Test fifties in New Zealand have been registered by him at this venue.

# Dhoni's sixth fifty vs New Zealand is his 29th in Tests.  His excellent innings is the third highest by India's number eight batsman in New Zealand in Tests.

# Dhoni's innings is the second highest by an Indian captain at Wellington, next only to Mohammad Azharuddin's 103 not out in December 1998.

# During the course of his aforesaid innings, Dhoni has completed his 3,000 runs as captain in Tests - his aggregate being 3037 at an average of 42.18 in 53 Tests, including five hundreds and 20 fifties.

# Dhoni is the second Indian captain to manage 3,000 runs in Tests - the first being Sunil Gavaskar - 3449 (ave.50.72) in 47 Tests.

# Dhoni and Rahane were involved in a stand of 120 - India's highest for the seventh wicket at wellington, bettering the 116 between Brijesh Patel and Syed Kirmani in February 1976.

# Overall, the aforesaid partnership is India's second highest for the seventh wicket vs New Zealand in New Zealand, next only to the 128 between Sachin Tendulkar and Kiran More at Napier in February 1990.

# Ravindra Jadeja is averaging 41.00 as a batsman in the present series - his aggregate being 82 in three innings - his best performance in terms of averages in a Test series.

# BJ Watling is the third New Zealand wicketkeeper to effect five dismissals in a Test innings at Basin Reserve, Wellington, joining Roy Harford (vs India in 1968) and Warren Lees (vs Sri Lanka in 1983).

# Watling is the first New Zealand wicketkeeper to effect five dismissals in a Test innings vs India twice and that too in the same series - Auckland and Wellington in 2014.

# Watling is the first New Zealand wicketkeeper to effect five dismissals or more in a Test innings in three consecutive Tests - the sequence being vs West Indies at Hamilton in December 2013 followed by Auckland and Wellington Tests vs India in February 2014.

# Watling's tally of 14 dismissals in three innings in the present series is a New Zealand record vs India in a Test series, outstripping the 13 by Ian Smith in five innings in 1980-81.  The said performance is a New Zealand record in a two-Test series.

# Peter Fulton has failed in all the four innings in the present series - his tally being 32 at an average of 8.00.

# In his last eight Test innings, Fulton's sequence of scores have been 3, 6, 11, 10, 13, 5, 13 & 1.

# For the twelfth time, India's number seven and eight batsmen recording fifty-plus in the same Test innings.  

(Stats courtesy Rajesh Kumar)