India vs Australia: From 76 in Ahmedabad to 109 in Indore, lowest Indian Test totals at home in recent years

India were in for a rude shock at the start of the third Test against Australia in Indore on Wednesday, getting bundled out with a little over a 100 on the board after opting to bat.

The Indians did lose wickets in clusters in each of the previous Tests in Nagpur and Delhi, especially in the second match at Kotla where they were 139/7 at one stage before a lower-order rescue ensured they got past 250.

The Aussie bowling unit, however, gave them no room to escape this time around, not allowing any of the batters to settle and partnerships to build, resulting in the hosts getting shot out for just 109 with Virat Kohli top-scoring for the side with a 52-ball 22.

Also Read: India collapse while navigating Indore’s minefield

Though Australia lost the wicket of opener Travis Head early, they managed to eclipse the Indian total rather easily thanks to a solid second-wicket partnership between Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne.

It is not often that India struggles to score runs at its own backyard, their score of 109 today turning out to be their fourth-lowest total at home. Interestingly, two of their five lowest Test totals at home occurred in the same match during the previous edition of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy hosted by India.

Here’s a detailed look at five of India’s lowest Test totals at home in the last decade-and-a-half:

76 vs South Africa, Ahmedabad, 2008

South Africa nearly bowled India out for their lowest-ever Test total at home when they ran through the Indian batting lineup in Ahmedabad, bowling them out for 76 — only one more than what the West Indians had allowed the Indians to score in Delhi in 1987.



Dale Steyn led the way among the Proteas bowlers, returning figures of 5/23 with idea support from Makhaya Ntini (3/18) and Morne Morkel (2/20). Only two Indian batters scored in double-digits, with more runs coming in extras (19) that off the blade of skipper MS Dhoni (14), the second-highest run-scorer in that innings.

105 and 107 vs Australia, Pune, 2017

Unlike their current assignment, Australia got off to a dream start the last time they toured India for a Test series, thanks to one Stephen O’Keefe.

The relatively unfancied Malaysia-born left-arm spinner made the Indian batters dance to his tunes in a career-defining performance, returning identical figures of 6/35 to bag the Player of the Match award as India were bundled out for 105 and 107 on a raging turner at the MCA Stadium in Pune, resulting in a massive 333-run defeat for Kohli’s men.

109 vs Australia, Indore, 2023

India’s spectacular collapse on the opening day of the Indore Test will have rekindled painful memories of the Pune disaster for many an Indian fan and the manner in which Matthew Kuhnemann ran through the Indian lineup in his potentially match-winning performance of 5/16 was reminiscent of O’Keefe’s dominant performance six years ago.

Only two Indian batters could cross 20 this time around, and not even their long tail could get them close to 200 though some theatrics from Umesh Yadav ensured they crossed the 100-mark at the very least.

142 vs England, Mumbai, 2012

England produced an emphatic comeback in Mumbai after losing the opening Test of the 2012-13 tour in Ahmedabad by nine wickets, with spinners Monty Panesar (6/81) and Graeme Swann (4/43) sharing all ten wickets between themselves as the hosts were bowled out for 142 in their second essay after starting with an 86-run deficit.

It ensured Alastair Cook’s men needed only 57 to pull off a series-leveling win at the Wankhede — a result that would prove decisive as they would go on to inflict a 2-1 series defeat on MS Dhoni and Co.

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