Exceptional Indian Test Cricket Scoring
England’s ‘Bazball’ cricketing philosophy has revolutionized Test cricket. Teams are looking to score freely in Test cricket. This style of play has liberated many players. The likes of Zak Crawley and Jonny Bairstow have got a new wind of life. They are scoring at run-a-ball or better in most of their innings. Let us look at Exceptional Indian Test Cricket Scoring in detail.
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But there have been instances even before the advent of this term where batters scored runs at a brisk pace in Test cricket. Indian cricketers too have had such moments in Test cricket. In fact, there are 5 Indian batters who have scored 100+ runs in a single session between lunch and stumps.
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We look at those Exceptional Indian Test Cricket Scoring:
#5 Yuvraj Singh – 102
India was staring down the barrel in the opening session of the Bangalore Test against Pakistan. The home team was 61-4 at lunch. It was the two southpaws who changed the course of the game through their epic partnership. Sourav Ganguly and Yuvraj Singh put together a 300-run stand to take India into ascendancy. Yuvraj scored a scintillating 169 off just 203 balls, a knock comprising 28 fours and 1 six. He went berserk in the final session scoring 102 of those runs.
#4 Karun Nair – 108
India had already pocketed the 5-match series 3-0 heading into the final Test in Chennai. KL Rahul missed out on a well-deserved double hundred as he was out on 199. India was looking to reach England’s first-innings total of 477. Karun Nair walking in at number 5 had other ideas. He kept piling runs on day 4 and as the sessions progressed, Nair was reaching one milestone after the other.
In the final session of day 4, Nair reached his triple hundred (303*) thereby becoming only the second Indian to reach the landmark. He also scored a whopping 108 runs between tea and stumps to put India in pole position.
#3 MS Dhoni – 109
It had to be Chennai if it is MS Dhoni. The former Indian captain scored his first and only double-century at the Chepauk in Chennai in 2013. MS Dhoni went on the offensive against a spirited Australian bowling lineup. On day 3 between lunch and tea, Dhoni pummelled 109 runs. He took a severe liking to Nathan Lyon who was the biggest threat on a turning Chennai track. Dhoni’s 224 remains a masterclass in how to bat on a turning track.
#2 VVS Laxman – 121
It was this innings that earned VVS Laxman a permanent spot in the Indian Test side. In a tour where every Indian batsman failed to come good barring Sachin Tendulkar, Laxman took matters into his own hands in Sydney. Opening the innings with his Test career on the line, Laxman produced a knock for the ages.
He scored a scintillating 167 off just 198 balls comprising 27 hits to the fence. India’s total score of 267 shows the worth of Laxman’s knock. It was for the first time in ages that an Indian team scored at a rate of 4.50 in Australian conditions. Laxman’s 121 runs between tea and stumps played a major role in this feat!
#1 Virender Sehwag – 133
It is who else but Virender Sehwag at the top of this list. The fun part is he takes the numero uno spot for not the two triple centuries but one wherein he missed the mark narrowly. Sehwag went after the Sri Lankan bowlers at the Brabourne Stadium in the third Test in 2009.
He played every shot in the book and added a few more during his belligerent knock of 293 that came in just 254 balls. Sehwag scored at a scarcely believable strike rate of 115.35. His innings containing 40 fours and 7 sixes was an absolute treat! He plundered a record 133 runs between tea and stumps during this knock which is joint-third on the all-timers list.
