Test cricket is the oldest format of the game. Hence, it has always slightly favored the batting side a bit. There have been instances where batsmen have hit multiple double centuries, and even triple centuries. Anyway, a batsman hitting tons in consecutive innings in a match is a delight to watch. In this article we will take a look at 6 Indian batsmen who hit two centuries in a single Test match.
1. Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli tried his best to bail his team out, but this batting masterpiece went in vain as India lost the rain-hit Test at the Adelaide Oval. Kohli hit 115 runs in the first innings. In the second innings, India were left to chase a steep target in 98 overs. Wickets fell fast as Kohli came to the crease. He tried to get the team on track, but failed to do so as wickets fell at regular intervals. Kohli hit a valiant 141 but got caught out. The rest were easy pickings for Australia as they managed to win a Test match marred by controversies.
2. Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma had a dream debut as a Test opener, as he made up for the early loss of Mayank Agrawal’s wicket and went on to hit twin hundreds in the same Test. In doing so, he became only the sixth Indian to hit two centuries in a single Test. Interestingly, Rahane was the one to hit twin hundreds before Sharma, and he too did it against South Africa. Sharma broke many records on his way to scoring the second century on the fourth day of the Test. This magnificent batting display will be very hard to forget for the coming years.
3. Ajinkya Rahane
This performance of Rahane bailed India out of a very precarious situation. India were reeling at 66/3 when Rahane made his way out to the middle. Hopes weren’t too high, as Rahane was going through a dry spell then. He valiantly put up a 70-run partnership with Kohli, but Virat soon got out. Rahane fought valiantly alongside R Ashwin (who made 54 runs) and pulled his team to a respectable score.
The second innings saw another batting collapse, but Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane once again went into damage control mode as Rahane hit another century. Rahane’s knock helped India win with a whopping 337 run margin.
4. Rahul Dravid
Rahul Dravid is one of the greatest Test players to ever step foot in a cricket ground. The reserved batsman made his mark as a great Test batsman, bailing his team out of many precarious situations along with VVS Laxman. He hit these two centuries against arch rivals Pakistan in a Test match at the Eden Garden. Dravid scored 110 and 135 in the two innings, helping India win by a margin of 195 runs. He achieved this feat one more time against New Zealand in 1999.
5. Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Gavaskar was the standard-bearer of Indian batting before Sachin Tendulkar. The swashbuckling batsman was one of the very few batsmen who could score runs against the dreaded West Indies pace attack in the infamous ‘Body-line Bowling’ days. If you need a proof of his greatness, you should know that he hit twin centuries in a single Test in not one or two, but three Test matches. He was the top-scorer for India when the rest of the team was faltering.
6. Vijay Hazare
Vijay Hazare is a legendary figure in Indian cricket, and the Ranji One-Day Trophy was renamed to Vijay Hazare Trophy for his contribution to the sport. Hazare captained India in 14 International matches, and led the country to its first ever Test series win against England in 1951-52. He hit twin hundreds in a Test match against Australia at the Adelaide Oval in 1948, but it went in vain as India lost the Test. Vijay Hazare had a great International career, and an even better first class career, averaging almost 60 in the format.
