India are set to tour Australia for a three-match ODI series, followed by three T20Is and the all-important Border-Gavaskar Trophy. There have been many great performances by Indian cricketers over the years and some of them have even gone on to hit double-hundreds under testing circumstances. Players like Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and Cheteshwar Pujara have hit two double hundreds in Tests while Rohit Sharma remains the only Indian to hit a double century in ODIs against Australia.
With another eventful tour around the corner, here is a look at the list of Indian players who have scored double hundreds against Australia.
India Cricketers To Score Double Century Vs Australia
- Sachin Tendulkar (241*, 214)
Sachin Tendulkar scored his first double century against Australia back in 2004 at Sydney. With the Test series tied at 1-1, India looked to bat Australia out of the final Test. Sachin Tendulkar had many failures in that Test, especially getting out multiple times while trying to play the cover drive. Thus he decided to control his curb of playing the shot and throughout his innings of 241*, he incredibly did not play even a single cover drive. India scored a mammoth 705-7 in the first innings and put pressure on Australia. Although Australia managed to draw that Test, this supernatural innings from Sachin Tendulkar will be remembered for a long time by the cricketing world.
Tendulkar scored his second double-century against Australia in 2010 at Bengaluru where he took the bowling attack to the cleaners, scoring 214 runs.
2. VVS Laxman (281, 200*)
VVS Laxman has always brought his A game forward while playing against Australia, especially in the longest format of the game. His first double-century against Australia came back in India’s famous win in the Kolkata Test in 2001. Australia enforced a follow-on after battering India but both VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid batted brilliantly and brought India right back into the game from the jaws of defeat. Laxman played an unreal knock of 281 runs, showing an excellent display of an array of shots. India ended up bagging one of their famous wins against Australia by 171 runs. Laxman scored an unbeaten 200* as his second double hundred against Australia in the Delhi Test in 2008. He showed a spirited display and batted well with the tail-enders.
3. Cheteshwar Pujara (204,202)
Cheteshwar Pujara has been India’s Mr. Dependable in Tests especially after the retirement of Rahul Dravid. Pujara scored his first double-century against Australia back in March 2013 at Hyderabad. Both him and Murali Vijay absolutely smashed the Australian bowlers to all parts of the ground. India ended up winning that game comfortably. Pujara became India’s mainstay at No.3 and notched up another double hundred, scoring 202 runs at the JSCA stadium in Ranchi. The game ended in a draw with both teams fighting inch for inch.
4. Ravi Shastri (206)
Former Indian all-rounder and current Indian team’s head coach Ravi Shastri also played a marathon innings of 206 off 572 balls against Australia in the Sydney Test of 1992. Both Shastri and a young Sachin Tendulkar took the attack to the opposition bowlers. Ravi Shastri especially smashed Shane Warne who was on his debut.
5. Gautam Gambhir (206)
In the same game in which VVS Laxman scored an unbeaten 200 against Australia, Gambhir scored 206 against the Aussies. Both Gambhir and Laxman batted really well and gave the Australian bowlers no chance.
6. MS Dhoni (224)
Former India Test skipper MS Dhoni played absolutely brilliant innings against Australia in the first Test of their 2012-13 tour at Chennai. On a turning track where other Indian batsmen failed to make a mark, Dhoni batted well with the tail-enders and played a fantastic knock, helping India put a big score on the board in the first innings and helping them win the Test comfortably.
7. Rohit Sharma (209)
In the ODI series decider between India and Australia, Rohit Sharma stepped up to become only the third Indian to score a double century in ODIs and only the first Indian to achieve this feat in ODIs against Australia. He smashed a record 16 sixes in his innings and showed some amazing power-hitting ability. India ended up winning the game comfortably by 57 runs.
