5 instances of India registering most ducks in an innings in Test history ft. South Africa 2024

It was a batter's nightmare on Day 1 of the second Test between South Africa and India played at the Newlands Stadium in Cape Town on Wednesday, January 3.

After South African captain Dean Elgar won the toss and decided to bat first, as many as 23 wickets followed by the end of the day's play. Mohammed Siraj's fabulous six-wicket haul helped India skittle down the hosts for a humbling score of 55.

In reply, India had a decent start with Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli enjoying starts. At once, India threatened to take their lead past 200-mark. However, what followed was utter chaos from Team India. From being 153/4 at one point, the visitors were bundled out for the exact score.

They lost their final six wickets without adding a single run as the Protea pacers ran through the Indian lineup. With this, as many as six different Indian batters got dismissed for a duck, which is the joint-most by any Team in a Test innings.

On that very note, let's take a look at the top five most ducks for India in an innings in Test history.

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#5 5 ducks vs New Zealand in Mohali in 1999

When New Zealand toured India for a three-match Test series in 1999, they enjoyed a great start in Mohali. In the first session of the opening Test, the Kiwis bundled India out for a mere 83.

Pace bowler Dion Nash wreaked havoc and registered his career-best figures of 6/27. He started off the proceedings by dismissing both openers- Devang Gandhi (0) and Sadagoppan Ramesh (0). Soon Rahul Dravid (1), Sachin Tendulkar (18) and Sourav Ganguly (2) also lost their wickets.

Chris Cairns and Shayne O'Connor took two wickets each and sent Vijay Bharadwaj, Sunil Joshi, and Venkatesh Prasad for a duck. Five batters were dismissed without scoring as Javagal Srinath's knock of 20 runs ended up as the highest individual score in that innings.

The match ended in a draw with Sachin Tendulkar (126*) and Rahul Dravid (144) scoring centuries in the second innings.

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#4 5 ducks vs England in Leeds in 1952

Captains Len Hutton and Vijay Hazare at the toss

The first Test of the four-match Test series between England and India also saw the latter lose five batters for a duck.

After batting first at the Headingley Stadium in Leeds, India made a decent total of 293 runs. England took a 41-run lead by scoring 334 runs in their first innings.

However, India's second innings started on the worst possible note. Alarmingly, the visitors lost all of their first four wickets without a single run on the board. All four of Pankaj Roy, Datta Gaekwad, Polly Umrigar, and Vijay Manjrekar were dismissed for a duck.

Skipper Vijay Hazare (56) and Dattu Padhkar (64) rescued the Indian innings, with both of them scoring half-centuries each. In the end, Gulabrai Ramchand also lost his wicket at zero, making him the fifth batter to get out on a duck in the innings.

England easily ended up winning the match by seven wickets.

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#3 5 ducks vs Australia in Adelaide in 1948

Another Test match that involved five ducks for India was played against Australia at the Adelaide Oval in Adelaide in 1948.

The hosts were completely in charge after making a humongous 674 in the first innings. Skipper Don Bradman was at his best, scoring 201 off only 296 balls. Sid Barnes (112) and Lindsay Hassett (198) also scored fabulous centuries.

In reply, India managed to pile up 381 runs before Australia enforced a follow-on. In India's second innings, five batters were dismissed for a duck. While Vijay Hazare scored a century, Lala Amarnath and Vinoo Mankad were dismissed without scoring a single run.

Gogumal Kishenchand, Khandu Rangnekar and Commandur Rangachari were the other players to be dismissed for a duck. India could only get to 277 in the second innings, thus losing the match by a margin of an innings and 16 runs.

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#2 6 ducks vs England in Manchester in 2014

Virat Kohli after getting dismissed by James Anderson

The fourth Test match of India's tour of England started with the series being at 1-1. India beat the hosts at the iconic Lord's Stadium and eyed a historic series win.

However, the fourth Test, hosted in Manchester, saw a crumbling Indian team, that had no answers to the fiery English bowling.

MS Dhoni's decision to bat first backfired largely as England bundled India out for 152 on Day 1. India were in dire straits as they lost all four of Murali Vijay (0) Gautam Gambhir (4), Cheteshwar Pujara (0), and Virat Kohli (0) with just eight runs on the board.

Dhoni then resurrected the Indian innings with a vital 71. He scored more than 46 percent of India's first-innings total of 152. Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Pankaj Singh were also sent back for a duck, with Stuart Broad taking a fantastic 6/25.

This was the very first time that six different Indian batters recorded a duck in a Test innings. Eventually, India lost the Test match by an innings and 54 runs.

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#1 6 ducks vs South Africa in Cape Town in 2024

Yashasvi Jaiswal walking off during the South Africa v India - 2nd Test [Getty Images]

The latest Indian horror show came in Cape Town, where India lost six wickets inside of only 11 balls. The South African pacers walloped the Indian batting order with regular strikes.

Amidst all the chaos, scores in the 30s from Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill and a 46 from Virat Kohli looked like gold dust on a lethal Newlands surface. It all started with Yashasvi Jaiswal going out on a duck off Kagiso Rabada's bowling.

India were at 110/3 at a point in time before South Africa punched their way into the match. Shreyas Iyer nicked one to the wicketkeeper to be dismissed on zero, while an extra bounce caught Ravindra Jadeja (0) and Jasprit Bumrah (0) off guard.

The last two individuals to go out for a duck were Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna, as India could only take a 98-run lead despite skittling the opposition for 55 in the first session.