Cricket is a funny game. One day you’re on top of the world, and the next, you’re staring at a scorecard that looks more like a phone number than a professional cricket total. Honestly, if you follow Indian cricket, you’ve probably tried to scrub the date December 19, 2020, from your memory. It was a Saturday morning that started with hope and ended with a collective nation hiding under their blankets.
India was bundled out for 36.
That is the india lowest test score in the history of the sport for the Men in Blue. It happened at the Adelaide Oval during a Pink Ball Test against Australia. It wasn’t just a bad session; it was a total, unmitigated disaster that defied logic. You had a world-class batting lineup—names like Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, and Ajinkya Rahane—and not a single soul reached double digits.
Mayank Agarwal top-scored with 9. Nine!
The Anatomy of a Collapse: 36 All Out
People often ask how a team this good falls this hard. To understand the india lowest test score, you have to look at the context. India actually had a lead going into that third day. They had a 53-run cushion from the first innings. They started the day at 9/1. A couple of solid hours of batting and they would have been in the driver's seat.
Instead, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins turned into terminators.
The ball wasn't even doing anything crazy. It was just relentless, nagging accuracy on a "good length." Hazlewood finished with figures of 5/8. Cummins took 4/21. It was like watching a car crash in slow motion. Every edge went to the keeper or the slips. Every defensive prod seemed to find a gap in the bat’s armor.
The scorecard looked like a binary code: 4, 9, 2, 0, 4, 0, 8, 4, 0, 4, 1. (That last one was Shami retiring hurt after a nasty blow to the arm). Basically, in about 90 minutes of madness, the game was over.
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Why the "Summer of 42" Isn't the Record Anymore
For 46 years, the benchmark for Indian batting misery was 42. That happened at Lord’s in 1974 against England. Older fans still call it the "Summer of 42." In that match, Geoff Arnold and Chris Old tore through India on a damp, overcast morning.
Eknath Solkar was the lone warrior back then, remains unbeaten on 18. But even that dark day in London feels "better" than the Adelaide 36 because, well, at least someone reached double digits.
The Bengaluru Shocker of 2024
Just when we thought the nightmares were over, 2024 threw a massive curveball. Playing New Zealand at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, India got skittled for 46. This is now the india lowest test score on home soil.
It was a bizarre day. Rohit Sharma won the toss and chose to bat under heavy grey clouds on a pitch that had been under covers for ages. Matt Henry and William O'Rourke didn't need a second invitation. They used the extra bounce and the zip off the surface to leave India reeling at 34/6 before eventually folding for 46.
Five ducks in a single innings. At home.
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It was a stark reminder that even with modern technology and T20-era aggression, the moving red ball remains the ultimate equalizer. You can't just "hit" your way out of trouble when the ball is nipping back into your ribs or swinging late toward the slips.
Comparing the Low Points
If we look at the history of the india lowest test score, a few matches stand out as particularly painful. It’s not just the number; it’s the way it happened.
- 36 vs Australia (Adelaide, 2020): The absolute rock bottom. No batsman in double figures.
- 42 vs England (Lord’s, 1974): The previous record holder. A collapse against legendary swing bowling.
- 46 vs New Zealand (Bengaluru, 2024): The lowest total ever recorded in India. A tactical error at the toss proved fatal.
- 58 vs Australia (Brisbane, 1947): An early struggle for a newly independent nation.
- 58 vs England (Manchester, 1952): Another gloomy day in England where the weather and the pace were too much.
The Psychological Scars of a Low Score
Honestly, the hardest part isn't the scoreboard; it's the "ghosts" that follow the players. When a team gets bowled out for something like 36 or 46, the next time they walk out to bat, every play-and-miss feels like a catastrophe. The pressure is suffocating.
Commentators start talking about "technique" and "intent," and suddenly, every player is second-guessing whether they should defend or attack. In the Bengaluru 46 all out, you could see the hesitation. Players who usually dominate were stuck in no-man's land.
But there is a silver lining.
After the 36 all out in Adelaide, India didn't just crawl into a hole. They staged the greatest comeback in cricket history. They went on to win in Melbourne, draw in Sydney (a miracle in itself), and then breached the fortress at the Gabba to win the series 2-1. It's kinda poetic. The lowest point in their history led to their most iconic triumph.
What to Watch for Next Time
If you're watching a Test match and the ball starts "nipping" or there's significant "lateral movement," keep an eye on these red flags:
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- The Hard Length: Watch out for bowlers like Cummins or Henry who hit that 6-to-8-meter mark consistently. That's where the 36 and 46 collapses started.
- The "Channel of Uncertainty": If the keeper and first slip are staying busy, the batting side is in trouble.
- Footwork Paralysis: When batsmen stop committing their front foot because they're scared of the bounce, a collapse is usually minutes away.
The india lowest test score is a part of the game's folklore now. It's a reminder that no matter how many IPL millions a player makes, the game of Test cricket can still humble the best in the world in the span of a single lunch session.
If you want to dive deeper into the technical side of these collapses, I recommend checking out the ball-by-ball analysis of the Adelaide Test on ESPNcricinfo or watching the highlights of Matt Henry’s spell in Bengaluru. Seeing the "seam position" and the "late deviation" explains a lot more than just looking at the final score of 36 or 46. It helps you appreciate that sometimes, the bowling is just too good.
Keep an eye on the overhead conditions for the next home series—if those clouds roll in and the toss goes wrong, history has a nasty habit of repeating itself.