Decoding Usman Khawaja's sensational stats after his Test comeback
Australian opener Usman Khawaja smoked a brilliant half-century in the ongoing second Test versus India. On a challenging track, the southpaw batted with intent and ended up scoring 81 off just 125 deliveries. The tally included 12 fours and a six. Khawaja eventually fell prey to left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja. Meanwhile, here we look at his stats since his comeback to whites last year.
A valiant knock from Khawaja
Australia won the toss and elected to bat at Delhi's Arun Jaitley Stadium. While David Warner (15) perished cheaply, his opening partner Khawaja showcased great resistance. Despite not getting much support from the other end, Khawaja fought well and breached the 50-run mark. He looked all set to slam his 14th Test ton but an unsuccessful reverse sweep saw his departure.
His numbers after Test return
Having played his previous international game in August 2019, Khawaja made a surprise comeback to Australia's Test team in January last year. The southpaw justified the decision straightaway, smashing twin centuries in his comeback game versus England. He has since tallied 1,362 runs in 14 Tests at 71.68. (100s: 5, 50s: 6). No other batter has scored more Test runs in this period.
His numbers before comeback
Khawaja's numbers before 2022 weren't ordinary either. Before his comeback, the 36-year-old accumulated 2,887 runs in 44 Tests at 40.66. The tally includes eight tons and 14 fifties. 174 read his highest score.
A look at his overall Test numbers
Khawaja made his Test debut in 2011. He has aggregated 4,249 runs in 58 matches at 47.21. He has slammed 13 hundreds and 20 fifties, with the best score of 195* (versus South Africa). At home, Khawaja has compiled 2,496 runs at 55.46 (100s: 9, 50s: 11). He has scored 1,524 and 229 runs at away and neutral venues, averaging 36.28 and 76.33, respectively.
How has Khawaja fared against India in Tests?
Khawaja is standing in his sixth Test against India. The southpaw tallies 285 runs in the same, averaging merely 28.50 (50s: 2). His scores read 28, 8, 5, 72, 21, 33, 27, 4*, 1, 5, and 81. Khawaja was a part of the Aussie squad in the 2013 and 2017 Test tours of India but couldn't make the final XI.
Decoding his numbers in Asia
In Asia, Khawaja has racked up 1,066 runs in 14 Tests while averaging a stellar 53.3 (100s: 3, 50s: 5). The 36-year-old clobbered 496 runs in the Pakistan tour last year. He averaged a monstrous 165.33 (100s: 2, 50s: 2). He has tallied 252 runs in Sri Lanka at 28.00 (50s: 1). He owns two and 229 runs in Bangladesh and UAE, respectively.
How has the game proceeded?
Put to bowl, India reduced Australia down to 168/6 on the opening day. The likes of Warner (15), Marnus Labuschagne (18), and Steve Smith (0) fell cheaply. Travis Head (12), who replaced Matt Renshaw, departed soon. Khawaja has shone with a valiant fifty. For India, Ravichandran Ashwin scalped three of Australia's first six wickets. Mohammed Shami (2) and Jadeja (1) have also claimed wickets.
3rd-highest runs scorer in 2022
Since making a comeback for Australia last year, Khawaja ended 2022 as the third-highest run-scorer. He managed 1,080 runs at 67.50. He slammed four tons and five fifties. Babar Azam (1,184) and Joe Root (1.098) scored more runs than Khawaja in 2022.
