Statistical highlights of first one-dayer

By Mohandas Menon

** Shiv Sunder Das and Deep Dasgupta became the 138th and 139th players to represent India in LOIs. The latter also became the 16th player to keep wickets for India in LOIs.

** Indian leg-spinner Anil Kumble was making a comeback to the side after missing 26 matches since 22-10-2000 at Sharjah, while Javagal Srinath was appearing in his first away game in 18 months since 22-3-2000 against the South Africans at Sharjah.

*** The 193-run partnership for the first wicket between Saurav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar bettered the following records:

* on 118, the pair bettered India's best for the first wicket in South Africa, which was the 117 between Ganguly and Rahul Dravid at East London on 4-2-1997 against the home side.

* on 154, the pair bettered the previous highest partnership for the first wicket for India against South Africa, which was the 153 between this same pair at Baroda (IPCL) on 17-3-2000.

* on 166, the pair bettered the previous highest partnership for the first wicket against the South Africans by any team, which was the 165 by Englishmen Nick Knight and Nasser Hussain at Bloemfontein on 23-1-2000.

* on 181, the pair bettered the previous highest partnership for any wicket for India against South Africa, which was the 180 by Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid for the second wicket at Nagpur on 19- 3-2000.

*on 191, the pair bettered the previous highest partnership for any wicket at this ground and also the highest for the first wicket in South Africa, which was the 190 between South Africans Kepler Wessels and Mike Rindle against Pakistan on 12-1-1995.

** The Ganguly-Tendulkar opening combination has now been involved in fourteen 100-plus partnerships for the first wicket in LOIs. They are just one short of the record 15 such partnerships by the West Indian pair of Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes.

** Ganguly's 127 was his 17th hundred in 175 matches. It was his first after 18 matches since the 144 he made against Zimbabwe at Ahmedabad on 5-12-2000.

** Ganguly's was the highest score by a captain in South Africa, bettering the 104 by teammate Tendulkar against Zimbabwe at Benoni on 9-2-1997.

** Ganguly became the first visiting batsman to score a hundred at this ground. The previous highest was the 89 by Australian Michael di Venuto against the home side on 8-4-1997.

** Tendulkar's 101 was his 30th hundred in LOIs in 274 matches. He is followed a long way behind by Pakistani Saeed Anwar with just 19 hundreds.

** Both Ganguly and Tendulkar recorded their respective third hundreds against South Africa, which is the maximum by any batsman against this team in LOIs.

** India's total of 279-5 was by far the highest in 16 matches played at this venue, which was later surpassed by the home side when it made the winning total of 280-4. The previous highest was the 266-5 by South Africa against Pakistan on 12-1- 1995.

** Gary Kirsten's unbeaten 133 was his 11th of his career in 157 matches. It was his fourth against India, which equals the tally of New Zealand's Nathan Astle and Sri Lankan Sanath Jayasuriya, - the maximum hundreds against India in LOIs.

** Kirsten's was the highest score made by any South African batsman against India, obliterating his own unbeaten 115 at Sharjah on 19-4-1996. Andrew Hudson's 108 at Bloemfontein on 15- 12-1992, was the previous highest score by a South African against India at home.

** Only Dave Callaghan's unbeaten 169 against New Zealand at Centurion on 11-12-1994 exceeds Kirsten's effort, which still remains the highest score by a South African batsman at home.

** South Africa achieved its 9th win in the last ten matches since 2-5-2001.

Its only loss was against the West Indies at Arnos Vale in Kingstown on 16-5-2001.

** South Africa recorded its 12th win in 14 matches at his ground. Its only two losses came against Australia (by 8 runs) on 8-4-1997 and against Sri Lanka (by 4 runs) on 17-1-2001.

** The man of the match award was Kirsten's 14th of his career in 157 matches. It was his fifth in 24 matches against India.

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