Top 5 tenth-wicket ‘century partnerships’ for India : Partnerships are very important in building up big scores. Partnerships can be for any wicket. But a batsman coming in to bat at No 10 and giving a good support to a top order batsman or a well-set batsman to register a big score or even to win a test match attracts a lot of attention and importance.
Let us look into four such 10th wicket ‘century partnerships’ for India that have been quite significant:
1. 133 runs by Sachin Tendulkar & Zaheer Khan against Bangladesh at Dhaka in 2004
The first Test match (of the two-Test series) was played between 10th December, 2004, and 13th December, 2004, at National Stadium, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Team India, led by Saurav Ganguly, won the toss and elected to field.
Except for Mohd Ashraful (60* runs, 135 deliveries, 6*4) and Mohd Rafique (14 runs, 69 deliveries, 8*4), no other Bangladeshi batsmen could stand the onslaught of the Indian bowling and their first innings came to an end with 184 runs on the board.
Irfan Pathan tore into the opposition batting line up and returned with an impressive figure of 16-5-45-5. He was ably supported by Zaheer Khan (15-2-51-2) and Anil Kumble (13.5-2-45-2).
Losing the first three wickets (Gambhir,Sehwag and Dravid) with just 68 runs on the board, a 164-run fourth wicket partnership between Sachin Tendulkar and Saurav Gangly enabled Team India to overcome the Bangladesh total and also take a lead. Saurav Ganguly scored 71 runs off 123 deliveries with 13 fours.
With contributions from VVS Laxman (32 runs, 39 deliveries, 6*4), and Dinesh Karthik (25 runs, 43 deliveries, 6*4) helped India reach 393 runs for the loss of 9 wickets.
At the fall of the 9th wicket in the form of Harbhajan Singh (8 runs, 14 deliveries, 2*4) with the team score at 393 runs, in walked the last batsman, Zaheer Khan to give company to Sachin Tendulkar, who was very well set by that time.
Ably assisted by Zaheer, Sachin went on the rampage taking on the Bangladeshi bowlers. The duo put up a 133-run partnership for the 10th wicket.
With the dismissal of Zaheer Khan at the team score of 526 runs, Team India’s innings folded up. Zaheer scored 75 runs off 115 deliveries with 10 fours and 2 sixes thereby taking lead of 342 runs over the opposition.
Sachin, however, remained unbeaten on a well made 248* runs, playing for 552 minutes, off 379 deliveries with the help of 35 fours.
His first 100 came in 166 deliveries with 15 fours while the second 100 came in 149 deliveries with 15 fours.
This was the best 10th wicket partnership for India against any opponent.
It would be interesting to note that the 95th over of the Indian innings, had a 7-ball over.
Thanks to another display of a great bowling effort by Ifran Pathan (15-5-51-6) and Anil Kumble (13-4-92-2), except for Nafees Iqbal (54 runs, 111 deliveries,9*4) and Manjural Islam Rana (69 runs, 116 deliveries, 12*4) no other batsman could make any significant contribution and Bangladesh ended their second innings at 202 all out.
India won the match by an innings and 140 runs and went up 1-0 in the series.
For his wonderful bowling efforts (31-10-96-11), Irfan Pathan was adjudged the Player of the match
2. 111 runs by Bhuvaneshwar Kumar and Mohammad Shami against England at Nottingham in 2014
The first Test match of the five-match series of the Investec Cup was played between 9th July, 2014 and 13th July, 2014, at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, England.
Team India, under the captaincy of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, won the toss and elected to bat. Stuart Binny, son of the World Cup 1983 winning squad member, Roger Binny, made his debut in Test.
Losing the opener, Murali Vijay (12 runs in 24 balls) with the score at 33 runs, Cheteshwar Pujara joined Vijay and the duo put up a partnership of 73 runs the second wicket, when Pujara (38 runs, 69 deliveries, 7*4) was sent back to the dressing room.
Vijay also built up a 71-run partnership for the third wicket alongwith Ajinkya Rahane (32 runs, 81 deliveries, 4*4). Rahane departed at the team score of 178/4.
Dhoni walked in to join Vijay in the middle and both plundered runs at will and established a 126-rn partnership for the fifth wicket, when Vijay fell after scoring 146 runs off 361 deliveries with 25 fours and one six.
Vijay’s 100 runs came in 214 deliveries with the aid of 18 fours.
At the fall of the 9th wicket in the form of Ishant Sharma (1 run, 6 deliveries) at the team score of 346/9, the No 11 batsman, Mohammad Shami joined the No 9 batsman, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar.
The two tail-enders abl’y addressed the onslaught of the likes of James Andersen, Stuart Broad, Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali and went on to establish a 111-run partnership for the 10th wicket thereby helping the team to put up a massive score of 457 runs in the first innings.
For England, significant contributions from Robson (59 runs, 142 deliveries, 8*4), Gary Ballance (71 runs, 167 deliveries, 9*4), Joe Root (154* runs, 295 deliveries, 15*4) and James Andersen (81 runs, 130 deliveries, 17*4) enabled them to score 496 runs and take a lead of 39 runs.
Bhuvaneshwar Kumar took 5 wickets giving away 82 runs in 30.5 overs.
Half century plus scores from Vijay (52 runs, 119 deliveries, 7*4, 1*6), Pujara (55 runs, 105 deliveries, 7*4), Binny (78 runs, 114 deliveries, 8*, 1*6) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (63 runs, 138 deliveries, 10*4) aided India to play through Day 5 of the game and the innings remained inconclusive.
India had scored 391 runs for the loss of 9 wickets and the match ended in a draw.
For his all-round performance, James Andersen was adjudged the Player of the Match.
3. 109 runs by Hemu Adhikari and Ghulam Ahmed against Pakistan at Delhi in 1952
The first Test match of the five-match series was played at Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi, India, between 16th October, 1952 an 18th October, 1952.
India, under the leadership of Lala Amarnath won the toss and chose to bat.
At the team score of 110 runs, Polly Umrigar fell as the fifth wicket, after making 25 runs. Gul Mohammad joined Vijay Hazare and the two put up a partnership of 70 runs for the sixth wicket. Hazare departed after scoring 76 runs.
Thereafter no significant partnerships developed unless the No 11 batsman, Ghulam Ahmed walked into join Hemu Adhikari, who had come in at the fall of Hazare’s wicket, and was holding on to one end.
Adhikari and Ahmed came together at the team score of 263 runs for the loss 9 wickets.
The duo stayed put together a 109-run partnership for the last wicket and India’s first innings ended at 372 runs.
Ghulam Ahmed scored a well-made 50 runs while Hemu Adhikari remained unbeaten with 81 runs to his credit. Amir Elahi was the most successful bower with the figure of 39.4-4-134-4.
In this Test match, for Pakistan, as many as 9 players made their debut.
Except for their wicket-keeper, Hanif Mohammad and Fazal Mahmood, none of the Pakistani batsman could even reach the double digit and their first innings ended at 150 runs, trailing by 222 runs.
Pakistan was forced to follow-on. They managed to score just 152 runs in the second innings and lost the match by an innings and 70 runs.
India went 1-0 up in the series.
4. 105 runs by Harbhajan Singh and Sreesanth against New Zealand at Hyderabad in 2010
The second Test match of the three-match series was played between 12th November, 2010 and 16th November, 2010 at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal, Hyderabad, India.
New Zealand, led by Daniel Vettori, won the toss and chose to bat.
A 147-run second wicket partnership between McIntosh (102 runs, 254 deliveries, 10*4, 1*6), and Martin Guptill (85 runs, 160 deliveries, 9*4, 1*6) and a contribution of 70 runs off 120 delivers with 10 fours from Jesse Ryder, enabled the Kiwis to put up a total of 350 runs in the first innings.
Zaheer Khan (27-8-69-4) and Harbhajan Singh (35.3-10-76-4) were the most successful bowlers for India.
India started off well with a 160-run first wicket partnership between Virender Sehwag (96 runs, 120 deliveries, 15*4, 1*6) and Gautam Gambhie (54 runs, 129 deliveries, 7*4).
At 184/3, VVS Laxman, at the fall of Sachin’s wicket, joined Rahul Dravid and the two took the score to 259 run, when Dravid departed after scoring 45 runs off 144 deliveries with the help of 5 fours.
Laxman, at his personal score of 74 runs off 160 deliveries with 11fours, returned to the dressing room at the team score of 326 runs.
Dhoni fell as the seventh wicket at the team score of 336 runs. Harbhajan Singh who had joined Dhoni, was left only with the tail-enders for company. They were still trailing by 14 runs. Zaheer Khan and Pragyan Ojha departed fasterthan they had arrived in the middle, without making any addition to the score.
It is at this juncture, the batsman No 11, Santhakumaran Sreesanth joined Bhajji in the middle. Though Sreesanth was not very well known well for his expertise with the bat, he stood his ground and provided a great support to Bhajji, who at the other end was scoring at will.
The last pair stayed together to build up a partnership of 105 runs before Sreesanth was consumed by the Kiwis skipper.
Sreesanth had scored 24 runs off 71 deliveries with 3 fours.
Harbhajan Sngh remained unbeaten on 111* runs off 116 deliveries with the help of 7 fours and an equal number of sixes. This eventually is his second highest score in Test cricket, thus far. His 100 runs came in 105 deliveries with the aid of 7 fours and 6 sixes.
India took a lead of 122 runs
Weather-interruptions and poor light saw India play their first innings almost upto lunch on Day 4.
New Zealand began their second innings and riding on the back of a double-century (225 runs off 308 deliveries, 22*4, 4*6) by Brendon McCullum, they declared their second innings at 448 runs for the loss of 8 wickets.
India had to chase a target of 325 to win the match. There was just one session left in the match and hence it ended in a draw.
Brendon McCullum was adjudged the Player of the Match.