Afghanistan's dream debut crash-landed at Bengaluru as India’s spinners and batting line-up left them in tatters within two days. A massive margin of an innings and 262 runs still does not quite convey the enormity of the loss. But horror performances on debut are a given in Tests, so this was always on the cards for a hyped up Afghanistan side. Here we take a glance at some of the records and numbers created, broken and updated during the course of the momentous Test.

1. Asghar Stanikzai, Yamin Ahmadzai and Mohammad Shahzad make history

Captains of each Test side in their debut Test

Aus - Dave Gregory
Eng - James Lillywhite jnr
SA - Owen Dunell
WI - Karl Nunes
NZ - Tom Lowry
Ind - CK Nayudu
Pak - Abdul Kardar
SL - Bandula Warnapura
Zim - Dave Houghton
Ban - Naimur Rahman
Ire - William Porterfield
Afg - Asghar Stanikzai

Bowlers who bowled the first ball of the innings in their country's debut Test

Eng - Alfred Shaw
Aus - John Hodges
SA - Gus Kempis
WI - George Francis
NZ - Ted Badcock
Ind - Mohammad Nissar
Pak - Khan Mohammad
SL - Ashantha de Mel
Zim - Eddo Brandes
Ban - Hasibul Hossain
Ire - Tim Murtagh
Afg - Yamin Ahmadzai

Batsmen to face the first ball in their country's debut Test

Aus - Charles Bannerman
Eng - Harry Jupp
SA - Albert Rose-Innes
WI - George Challenor
NZ - Stewie Dempster
Ind - Janardan Navle
Pak - Nazar Mohammad
SL - Bandula Warnapura
Zim - Kevin Arnott
Ban - Shahriar Hossain
Ire - Ed Joyce
Afg - Mohammad Shahzad

2. A rather long gestation period

If Afghanistan's debut Test came very soon after they took up the sport, India’s wicket-keeper batsman, Dinesh Karthik, made a much delayed appearance when he stepped out for India in whites after a period of eight years. He missed 87 Test matches that India played between his previous Test appearance and this one, making it a record of misses. Parthiv Patel held the record prior to this. He had made a comeback to the Indian Test team after 83 Tests in 2016 against England, also a gap of eight years.

3. Dhawan’s quick-fire knock and fondness of boundaries

Shikhar Dhawan silenced the celebrations in the Afghanistan camp when he walked out with characteristic swagger and stole the show in the first session of the Test match. His hundred came rapidly, stunning the helpless looking Afghanistan side. The fact that he had a century to his name before lunch on day one puts him in a unique list with five other players, none of whom are Indian, apart from him.

Players with centuries before lunch on day one

Victor Trumper vs England - 1902
Charlie Macartney vs England - 1921
Don Bradman vs England - 1930
Majid Khan vs New Zealand - 1976
David Warner vs Pakistan - 2017
Shikhar Dhawan vs Afghanistan - 2018

The century also happened to be the third time Dhawan scored a hundred in under a session, a record bettered only by legendary batsman Sir Donald Bradman.

94 of the Delhi man’s 107 runs came in boundaries. 87.85% of runs in boundaries is a record for scores above hundred in Test cricket.

4. Two innings worth 399 balls? Shortest innings? Definitely.

India barely had to flex their bowling muscles as their bowlers bowled a meager 399 balls in the entire Test match. This is a record for India in Tests in games that produced a result.

Least balls bowled by India in a Test with a result

399 v Afghanistan in Bengaluru, 2018
554 v Australia in Mumbai, 2004
569 v Bangladesh in Dhaka, 2007
596 v Zimbabwe in Harare, 2005

Afghanistan, who lasted 27.5 and 38.4 overs in their two innings, created yet another record: the lowest number of overs faced by a team in their maiden Test.

Least overs faced in debut Test

Afghanistan vs. India - 27.5 - 2018
Afghanistan vs. India - 38.4 - 2018
Bangladesh vs. India - 46.3 - 2000
New Zealand vs. England - 47.1 - 1930

5. Bowled out twice in a day and biggest wins

Afghanistan became the fourth team in the history of cricket to be bowled out twice in a single day of Test cricket. They are the only team among these four instances to score more than 100 runs in each innings.

Teams to be bowled out twice in a day

India for 58 and 82 vs England, 1952
Zimbabwe for 59 and 99 vs New Zealand, 2005
Zimbabwe for 51 and 143 vs New Zealand, 2012
Afghanistan for 109 and 103 vs India, 2018

6. Massive Indian win is their best ever

Biggest margins of victory for India

An innings and 262 runs - Afghanistan, 2018
An innings and 239 runs - Bangladesh, 2007
An innings and 239 runs - Sri Lanka, 2017
An innings and 219 runs - Australia, 1998

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