CHETESHWAR Pujara,who scored 202 versus Australia in the third Test in Ranchi last week has become the first Indian batsman to face more than 500 deliveries in Test cricket.
All told,Pujara faced 525 deliveries, bettering the previous Indian record of 495 deliveries faced by Rahul Dravid when he made 270 versus Pakistan at Rawalpindi in 2003-2004.
The 29-year-old right-hander from Gujarat now holds the Indian national record, as does national legend Shivnarine Chanderpaul,who holds the Guyanese national record for the most deliveries faced in Test cricket. Chanderpaul,however,is the second West Indian after world record holder Brian Lara (who did it twice) to have faced more than 500 deliveries in a Test innings.
Chanderpaul faced 510 deliveries in a painstaking 136 not out against India at the Antigua Recreation Ground in 2002. Lara topped Chanderpaul in his two world record feats in 1994 and 2004.
The Trinidadian maestro faced 582 deliveries when he plundered 400 not out against England in 2004 and 538 deliveries, also against England in 1994 at the ARG when he smashed 375. All three 500+ deliveries effort by West Indians were recorded at the ARG.
The world record for most deliveries faced in Test cricket is held by England’s Len Hutton,who faced 847 deliveries when he made the then world record of 364 against Australia at the Oval in 1938.
The second most deliveries faced is 759, by New Zealander Glen Turner when he made 259 at Bourda in 1972. Turner’s knock had the most deliveries faced against the West Indies in a Test innings by a single batsman and also the most deliveries faced by a batsman in a Test innings in the West Indies.

It is followed by Englishman Andy Sandham’s 640 deliveries taken to make 325 at Sabina Park in 1930.
Chanderpaul’s score is the lowest by any batsman who faced more than 500 deliveries in a Test innings. The next lowest was England’s Clive Radley who scored 158 (524 deliveries) against New Zealand in Auckland in 1978. Only six batsman have faced more than 500 deliveries but scored less than 200 runs. In addition to Chanderpaul and Radley, there are Pakistan’s Hanif Mohammad (187*), Kiwi Trevor Jarvis (182), England’s Wally Hammond (177) and Pakistani Shoaib Mohammad (163).

Jarvis’ knock was registered in the same Test as Turner’s at Bourda,when the pair put on a gargantuan opening stand of 387 when the Kiwis made 543 for 3 declared,responding to the West Indies first innings total of 365 for 7 declared. This partnership remains a New Zealand record and is the fourth highest opening partnership of all time after Graeme Smith and Neil McKenzie (415), Vinoo Mankad and Pankaj Roy (413) and Dravid and Virender Sehwag (410).
The West Indian declaration in that Bourda run fest was called when hometown hero,Alvin Kallicharan romped to an even century batting at number six in a highly decorated line up which included Sir Garry Sobers, Clive Lloyd and Lawrence Rowe. During the New Zealand innings,the West Indians used nine bowlers. Only opening batsman Roy Fredericks and wicketkeeper Michael Findlay did not bowl.
The West Indies bowling attack included Barbadian spinners David Holford and Tony Howard along with fast bowler Vanburn Holder and the medium pace of Sobers and Lloyd. In the following Test in Port of Spain, the West Indies dropped Howard and brought in Trinidadian spin twins Inshan Ali and Raphick Jumadeen,in a series in which the West Indies bowling relied heavily on spin.
During the five Test series the West Indians used a total of five spinners – Holford, Howard, Ali, Jumadeen and Lance Gibbs.
It would not be a strategy which the Caribbean side would carry on with for much longer,and certainly among the main reason why no batsman since Dennis Amiss’ 262 from 563 deliveries in 1974 at Sabina Park has managed to face 500 deliveries or more in the Windies.