10 jaw-dropping facts about cricket

Here are 10 jaw-dropping facts about the game of cricket.

#10 Virat Kohli's entry and India's chasing record

Virat Kohli is the master of chases in One Day Internationals, which is proved by the fact that India have chased down 300+ targets 5 times following the entry of the Delhi-born into the ODI set-up

#9 Sourav Ganguly and centuries in ODI World Cup knock-outs

Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly, fondly referred to as 'Dada' for bringing about reversals in the fortunes of Indian cricket with his admirable captaincy skills, is the only Indian batsman to score a century in knock-out matches of the ODI World Cups(111 vs. Kenya in 2003 World Cup semi-finals). Even Sachin Tendulkar does not have a century to boast about in any of India's World Cup knock-out fixtures, with his highest being 85off 115 balls in the 2011 WC semi-final against Pakistan.

#8 Sunil Gavaskar 174-ball 36

Sunil Gavaskar might have mistaken the 1975 World Cup match between India and England for a Test match, as he only scored 36 runs in 174 balls. It appears even more bizarre when you consider that he batted throughout the innings and that the Indian team was chasing 335 in 60 overs

#7 Sir Jack Hobbs' 199 centuries in his First-class career

If you think Sachin Tendulkar has the maximum number centuries in the history of cricket, then you need to look at the stats of Sir Jack Hobbs. Hobbs has scored 199 centuries in First-class cricket.

#6 Wilfred Rhodes' 4204 First-class wickets

It may seem shocking when a figure like4204is displayed in thewickets-taken column, but it is true. Rhodes took over 4000 wickets in First-class cricket. He also has 39,969 runs to his name. Talk of an all-rounder!

#5 The magnanimous Ishant Sharma

This is one of awful record for Ishant Sharma. The Indian fast bowler's dropped catches have been the reason for these three players to record such a huge score against India in Test matches.

Michael Clarke 329 Run

Brendon McCullum 302 Runs

Alastair Cook 294 Runs

#4 Highest runs scored in an over is 77

In a match between New Zealand domestic teamsCanterbury and Wellington,Canterbury scored 77 runs in one over. Ball-by-ball break down of the over - 0 4 4 4 6 6 4 6 1 4 1 0 6 6 6 6 6 0 0 4 0 1.

The interesting fact about this match, other than the 77-run over, is that the bowling team allowed the batting team to get close to the target, giving them a chance to win in the process. Clearly, overconfidence was the factor!

#3 Sher-e-Bangla and Bangabandhu stadiums

Even thoughLord's is considered to be the Mecca of Cricket,Dhakas Sher-e-Banglaand Bangabandhu stadiumshave hosted more ODIs than the stadium in England.

#2 Sanath Jayasuriya has more ODI wickets than Shane Warne.

Shane Warne is the second leading wicket-taker in the history of cricket, but Sanath Jayasuriya has more wickets in the One Day International format than the Australian leg-spinner, which tells you how short his career in the format was.

#1 Sri Lanka's abysmal Test record against Australia

In the 11 Test series that Sri Lanka haveplayed against Australia, the Island nationhas only one Test match tilldate. The fact that Australia have such a great record even in Sri Lanka shows the kind of dominance they have exerted over the subcontinental country.