11th September, 2001

Name: Rajat
Query: What was the performance and average of Ganguly in one-day cricket when he opened without Sachin in the team, and when Sachin batted down the order?

Mohandas Menon: see the table below...

Batting order - SC Ganguly in ODIs
Pos	Inn	NO	BF	Runs	Ave	ScRt	HS	100	50	0
Opener	151	12	8450	6201	44.61	73.38	183	16	36	6
#3	4	0	196	100	25.00	51.02	46	0	0	0
#4	7	1	291	227	37.83	78.01	85	0	2	1
#5	3	0	151	104	34.67	68.87	69	0	1	0
#6	2	0	34	15	7.50	44.12	12	0	0	0
#7	1	0	75	59	59.00	78.67	59	0	1	0
#8	1	1	8	11	-	137.50	11*	0	0	0
#9	0	0	0	0	-	-	0	0	0	0
10	0	0	0	0	-	-	0	0	0	0
11	0	0	0	0	-	-	0	0	0	0
Ttl	169	14	9205	6717	43.34	72.97	183	16	40	7

Batting order - SR Tendulkar in ODIs
Pos	Inn	NO	BF	Runs	Ave	ScRt	HS	100	50	0
Opener	181	13	9046	8135	48.42	89.93	186*	28	36	8
#3	4	0	99	49	12.25	49.50	21	0	0	0
#4	41	4	1878	1369	37.00	72.90	140*	1	12	2
#5	36	8	981	797	28.46	81.24	82*	0	5	3
#6	3	0	81	91	30.34	112.35	36	0	0	0
#7	1	0	25	20	20.00	80.00	20	0	0	0
#8	0	0	0	0	-	-	0	0	0	0
#9	0	0	0	0	-	-	0	0	0	0
10	0	0	0	0	-	-	0	0	0	0
11	0	0	0	0	-	-	0	0	0	0
Ttl	266	25	12110	10461	43.41	86.38	186*	29	53	13

Name: SHIRAZ
Query: Hello I would like to know since when has the rest day been excluded from Tests. Don't you think rest days should be included again as there is more cricket theses days and players badly need it. It is surprising to see that, when there was less cricket there was rest day and now when cricket has increased the ICC has excluded the rest day.

Mohandas Menon:
The concept of Test matches without rest days began from the Ashes Test match at Nottingham in 1981. Although I do agree that the players now-a-days do need some kind of rest -- since they have to make an appearance in both Tests and ODI matches, at the same time they, being professional players, need to play or work "six days a week" like anyone else.

Mohandas Menon:
It's 52 fours, by Englishman John Edrich, during his innings of 310 not out against New Zealand at Leeds in 1965.

Name: mayur
Query: Has any player has ever done a double of scoring a double century and taking 10 wickets in the same Test match?

Mohandas Menon:
No.. this has never happened before, although England's Bill Edrich missed the feat by 9 runs and by two wickets while scoring 191 and 22 not out and taking four wickets each - eight in all -- in the Test match against South Africa at Manchester in 1947.

Name: RP
Query: Please list the top 5 longest innings (duration) by batsmen in One-Day Internationals and, similarly, the top 5 Test innings.

Mohandas Menon:
In ODIs
171* runs, in 210 balls: Glenn Turner NZ v EA Birmigham - 07-06-1975
114* runs, in 177 balls: Glenn Turner NZ v Ind Manchester - 14-06-1975
70 runs, in 176 balls: Mohsin Khan Pak v WI The Oval - 22-06-1983
36* runs, in 174 balls: Sunil Gavaskar Ind v Eng Lord's - 07-06-1975
106* runs, in 173 balls: Gordon Greenidge WI v Ind Birmingham - 09-06-1979

In Tests
337 runs, in 970 mins: Hanif Mohammad Pak v WI Bridgetown 1957-58
275 runs, in 878 mins: Gary Kirsten SA v Eng Durban 1999-00
340 runs, in 799 mins: Sanath Jayasuriya SL v Ind Colombo (RP) 1997-98
364 runs, in 797 mins: Len Hutton Eng v Aus The Oval 1938
201* runs, in 777 mins: Brendon Kuruppu SL v NZ Colombo (CCC) 1986-87

Name: Sarma D
Query: I heard that Bradman scored 300 runs in one day - a century in each session of the day. Was it true? If so please give details.

Mohandas Menon:
Yes! He did score 309 runs on the first day of the Ashes Test match at Leeds, on July 11, 1930 - he made 105 before lunch; 115 runs between lunch and tea; but missed another after tea - he scored 89 runs! The next day he went to score 334 runs.

Name: Narasimham Chetluri
Query: Which batsman has the longest stretch of innings without a zero in Test cricket?

Mohandas Menon: England's David Gower from 1982 to 1990-91 in 119 consecutive innings holds the record for the most innings without a duck.

Name: Narasimham Chetluri
Query: I think Ravi Shastri has batted at almost every batting position in Test cricekt, from 1-10 (except 11), is it true? Which cricketer(s) hold the record for batting at most postions in a Test? Thanks.

Mohandas Menon: Yes! Ravi Shastri has gone in all all position except at No 11. The only three players who have gone in all positions (1 to 11) are Australian Syd Gregory, England's Wilfred Rhodes and India's Vinoo Mankad.

Name: Anwer Jamal
Query: What is top score made by a batsman of the loosing side batting second in One-Day International cricket.

Mohandas Menon: The top two scores while batting second for a losing side.. 143 SR Tendulkar Ind v Aus Sharjah 1997-98 142 DL Houghton Zim v NZ Hyderabad 1987-88

Name: Anish
Query: Hello Mohandas, I have a question. Can you please clarify.
If the batsman strikes the ball and it goes towards the boundary and the batsmen takes three runs. If both the batsman and the runner do not reach the crease at the batsman's end while taking the run, i.e the first run, then how will the leg umpire and the main umpire give the signal for one-short and how many runs will go to the batsman?

Mohandas Menon:
When a batsman goes for three runs and if the umpires signals one short (any one of the umpires will have to touch his shoulder to signal one short); then only two runs are awarded although the batsman will remain at the same end as though he has taken three runs.