Nathan Lyon concedes unwanted world record, enters this dubious list in Adelaide Test against India

Nathan Lyon had a decent first day at the Adelaide Oval in the first Test against India. The offspinner gave good support to Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc by picking up 2/83 in 28 overs. Lyon picked up the wickets of Rohit Sharma (37) and Rishabh Pant (25) but during the course of his spell, he was hit for two sixes. One was by Ajinkya Rahane and another one by Rohit and this made him the owner of an unwanted world record in Tests. The 31-year-old became the first spinner in the history of the game to be hit for 200 sixes in Tests.

Before Lyon, Sri Lanka’s veteran off-spinner Rangana Herath, who recently retired from international cricket following the England Test in Galle, had held the record for most sixes being hit of his own bowling with 194. Lyon had passed Herath’s record during the second innings of the Abu Dhabi Test against Pakistan, when he was hit for four sixes which took his tally past Herath, who finished with 433 wickets.

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In Adelaide, Lyon was greeted to the wicket by Rahane when the batsman danced down the track and hoicked a flighted delivery into the stands at wide long on. Rohit was almost beaten in the flight but somehow managed to slog a flatter delivery to deep backward square leg where debutant Marcus Harris ran to his left and leapt to take the catch but the momentum dragged him over the ropes.

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However, Lyon had his revenge as Rohit danced down the track and mistimed a slog to backward square leg and Harris ran in to complete the catch. The offspinner’s day became even better when he managed to get the left-handed Pant to edge a straighter delivery to Paine.

Lyon has a great record in Tests against India, taking 66 wickets in 15 games, including five five-wicket hauls and one ten-wicket haul, which he achieved at the Adelaide Oval in 2014. In that match, his spell of 12/286 cancelled out Virat Kohli’s 115 and 141 as Australia held their nerve to clinch the match by 48 runs. Lyon has the most number of wickets by an Australian offspinner in Tests, with 320 from 81 Tests.