On This Day 19 December, India register their highest Test score and Lowest Test score

19^th December is a day that has a few high and lows with respect to India Cricket. On 19^th December, 2016 : India, under the leadership of Virat Kohli, scored 759/7 declared against England in 2016 in the Chennai Test. That is still their highest-ever Test innings total. India batted only once in that match and thrashed England by an innings and 75 runs. The hosts riding on Karun Nair’s magnificent unbeaten triple century (303 off 381 balls) and KL Rahul’s 199 off 311 balls, posted a mammoth 759/7 declared against England at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chepauk, Chennai. England needed 270 runs on the fifth day but were bundled out and India won the match and series comprehensively.

Exactly four years later, on December 19, 2020 Team India were

bowled out for 36 by the Aussies in the Day and Night Test in Adelaide. India collapsed to their lowest Test score of 36 as a rampaging Australia cruised to an emphatic eight-wicket victory inside two and a half days. That match will always be remembered as one of the most disappointing chapter of Indian cricket history. India started off the match on a strong note.

Batting first, they scored 244 runs, with Virat Kohli leading the charge with a fluent 74 before getting run-out. The bowlers then delivered brilliantly, as Australia were dismissed for 191 runs. After bowling Australia out, India had a substantial 53-run first-innings lead.

But in the third innings, India’s batting lineup collapsed like a pack of cards. Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood wreaked havoc as India was bowled out for just 36, their lowest-ever Test score. It was technically 36/9 declared as Shami could not bat due to injury. Hazlewood claimed 5 for 8, while Cummins took 4 for 21.

None of the Indian batters managed to reach double figures, with Mayank Agarwal’s 9 being the top score. Australia comfortably chased down the target of 90 runs and won by 8 wickets. This will be a day which has sweet memories as well as sad memories for Indian cricket.