India promised that they would not repeat Pune. Unfortunately, they did not quite live up to their promises. While Bengaluru wasn’t a Pune, India were bowled out for only 189 with KL Rahul top-scoring with 90.

If Steve O’Keefe was India’s destroyer-in-chief at Pune, it was the turn of Australia’s other spinner to hog the limelight. In a scintillating spell, Nathan Lyon got bounce and turn in equal measure and achieved a fantastic rhythm. His perseverance paid off, he got the big wickets of Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli early and then kept it up to finish with mind-boggling figures of 8/50.

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Obviously, those aren’t numbers you see everywhere and Lyon set quite a few records as he went about decimating India. Here are a few:

Lyon on fire

  • Nathan Lyon’s figures of 8/50 are his career-best, eclipsing his 7/94 which also came against India in Delhi in 2013. They are also the best bowling figures for any Australian bowler against India and the second-best for an Australian spinner, after Arthur Mailey’s 9/121.
  • Those figure are also the best by a touring bowler in India, eclipsing South Africa’s Lance Klusener’s 8/64 in 1996.
  • Lyon also became the first bowler to take three seven-wicket hauls against India and the first visiting bowler to take eight wickets on the first day of a Test in India
  • They are also the fifth-best figures for any bowler in India.
  • In his eight-wicket haul, Nathan Lyon also zoomed ahead of Brett Lee to enjoy the distinction of being Australia’s leading-wicket taker against India. Lyon now has 58 wickets compared to Lee’s 53.
  • Lyon’s figures of 8/50 are the best by an off-spinner against India in Tests after West Indies’ Jack Noreiga took 9/95 in 1971.

India also set a few records themselves... but none that they will be too proud of:

It doesn’t make for good reading for India

  • This is the first time in 40 years that India have been bowled out for less than 200 in three consecutive innings at home: 105, 107 and 189.
  • Before this series, India’s lowest total in their long home season was 204. After three innings in two Tests against Australia, India’s highest score this series is 189. 
  • Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane and Virat Kohli have now been dismissed by Lyon five times in Tests.
  • Virat Kohli has now been dismissed by Nathan Lyon five times, which is also the same number of times James Anderson has dismissed him.