Test cricket is a format that is played over 5 days and the teams’ batters would ideally want to bat time. There aren’t any real concerns pertaining to the run rate if you are a batting side and the real aim for the batters would be to score a lot of runs and bat as long as possible.
At the same time, there is also enough for the bowlers to keep them interested and it will be a real battle between bat & ball, at least in the early part of innings with the new ball. But there are some batters and teams who have a mindset to attack from ball one even in the Test format, typically in the modern age. For any Test innings, the first 10 overs are crucial be it for batting or the bowling side.
So in this article, we see instances where the teams have dominated proceedings with the bat in the first 10 overs a Test innings.
Highest total in an innings in the first 10 overs in the Tests
| TEAM | OPPONENT | Score after 10 years | TOTAL | DATE/VENUE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| India | Bangladesh | 99/1 | 285/9d | 27 Sep 2024, Kanpur |
| India | West Indies | 90/0 | 181/2d | 20 Jul 2023, Port of Spain |
| England | West Indies | 87/0 | 87/0 | 26 Jul 2024, Birmingham |
| England | Pakistan | 80/0 | 170/2 | 17 Dec 2022, Karachi |
| West Indies | New Zealand | 78/0 | 95/0 | 16 Jun 2014, Port of Spain |
| Pakistan | India | 77/0 | 261/2d | 24 Mar 2005, Bengaluru |
| Bangladesh | India | 76/3 | 253 | 25 May 2007, Mirpur |
| England | West Indies | 76/1 | 416 | 18 Jul 2024, Nottingham |
| India | South Africa | 74/1 | 643/6d | 14 Feb 2010, Kolkata |
| West Indies | South Africa | 74/1 | 747 | 29 Apr 2005, St John’s |
Key Stats
99 – India’s total in the first 10 overs against Bangladesh at Kanpur in 2024, which eclipsed their earlier record of 90 set against West Indies in 2023 at Port of Spain.
87 – This was England’s score in the 2nd innings of the Birmingham Test against West Indies in 2024. They needed 87 to win the game in the final innings and overhauled the same in about 7.2 overs.
3 – Number of times West Indies and England feature on this list. While all of England’s aggressive attempts resulted in a win, WI secured one win and it was the Test against New Zealand at Port of Spain in 2014.
2 – Number of instances on the list where a team has lost after having a fiery start in one of their innings. Bangladesh scored 253 in their 2nd innings against India after being 76/3 at the 10-over mark and eventually losing by an inning & 239 runs. The other one is West Indies against England where the visitors scored 416 runs after being 73/0 in their first innings and lost the Test by 210 runs.
5 – There have been at least 5 more instances of a team scoring 70 or more in the first 10 overs of a Test innings. It was done twice by Pakistan (70 both times) & Australia (73 & 71) each and the one other by England (71).
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