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Most Wickets To Fall In A Single Day Of A Test Match In Chennai

Most wickets to fall in a single day of a Test match in Chennai (x.com)Most wickets to fall in a single day of a Test match in Chennai (x.com)

The Chepauk Stadium, or the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai holds a deep-rooted significance in Indian Test cricket, having witnessed some of the nation’s most iconic matches. The playing surface at the venue, though typically balanced, can occasionally assist bowlers to create exhilarating days of cricket where action tends to move at a swift pace.

Following the extraordinary passage of play during the India vs Bangladesh Test of September 2024, we take a fresh look at three remarkable days from Chennai matches where the highest number of wickets tumbled for both teams combined.

3. India vs England 2021, Day 4 – 15 wickets

India vs England 2021, Day 4 – 15 wickets (x.com)India vs England 2021, Day 4 – 15 wickets (x.com)

The opening Test of England’s 2021 tour of India turned out to be a spin slugfest between the two sides. Team India reached 257-6 by stumps on Day 3 to find themselves another 321 runs away from England’s first innings total. It took England less than 22 overs of the fourth morning to skittle away the remaining four Indian batters, with left-arm spinner Jack Leach and senior paceman James Anderson both chipping in with two scalps each.

Emboldened by a huge 241-run lead, the Englishmen had their entire second innings enveloped for 178 within 47 overs by Indian spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and then newcomer Shahbaz Ahmed. Ashwin himself claimed six of the 10 fallen English wickets to bag figures of 6-61. Fast bowlers Ishant Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah also snared a wicket each while Nadeem struck twice in his 15-over recital.

2. India vs West Indies 1979, Day 3 – 15 wickets

Wickets tumbled in a cluster on Day 3 of the 1979 January Test match of Chennai between India and West Indies. Team India resumed the third day’s play at 250-8 to find themselves 22 runs ahead of the visitors. It took Sylvester Clarke and Norbert Phillip just a couple of overs to clean up the Indian tail as West Indies made their way into the middle with a 27-run deficit in front of them.

Over the next session-and-a-half, West Indies had their entire line-up blown away for just 151 to set Team India a target of 125. Indian new-ball pacemen Kapil Dev and Karsan Ghavri claimed three wickets each in the second innings while off-spinner Srinivas Venkataraghavan struck four times in 16.5 overs to return with 4-43.

Later, the Indian team lost each of their top three batters before stumps as the high-octane Day 3 yielded 15 wickets across both sides.

1. India vs Bangladesh 2024, Day 2 – 17 wickets

India vs Bangladesh 2024, Day 2 – 17 wickets (x.com)India vs Bangladesh 2024, Day 2 – 17 wickets (x.com)

Unlike the preceding wicket-filled instances, the second’s day play of the series-opening Chennai Test match of September 2024 between India and Bangladesh witnessed fast bowlers from both sides taking centerstage at the Chepauk Stadium. The day began with Bangladesh seamers Taskin Ahmed and Hasan Mahmud mopping up the Indian tail by accounting for their final four wickets within the opening hour at an expense of just 37 runs.

Over the course of the next 47.1. overs, Indian fast bowlers Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep claimed eight Bangladeshi batters while seasoned spinner Ravindra Jadeja accounted for the remaining two in the form of dangermen Litton Das and Shakib Al Hasan. Bumrah snared figures of 4-50 while Akash Deep sent down near-unplayable corkers to level Zakir Hasan and Mominul Haque in successive deliveries.

With a 227-run first innings advantage, the Indian top-order made its way to survive the remaining 23 overs of Day 2. In doing so, the hosts lost both their openers, Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal, as well as legendary number four batter Virat Kohli before stumps.