4 batsmen who have scored two triple hundreds in international cricket

Cricket is a game dominated by numbers. Numbers which often define a player's career and which matter to the billions of cricket enthusiasts around the globe. Speaking of numbers, 300 runs in a single inning by a player is something that is revered by the cricketing fraternity.

Only 26 batsmen have ever crossed the 300-run mark in an innings and the last time a player scored a triple century was back in 2016 when Karun Nair shocked the world with an astonishing 303 not out against England at M.A.Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

Of all the 26 men who've scored a 300+ score in Test cricket, only four players hold the distinction of scoring a triple-hundred on more than one occasion (2 to be precise). Keeping the magnitude of skill and perseverance needed to score such a colossal total in mind, ardent followers of the sport will agree to the fact that being able to eclipse the 300-run mark twice in a career is a spectacular achievement.

Here we list down four men who have scored a triple century twice in their Test career.

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#4 Chris Gayle

Chris Gayle will always be remembered for his scintillating style of play

Chris Gayle will always be remembered for his scintillating style of play in the limited-overs format, but one should not forget that the Universe Boss has been an equally destructive player in the longer format. Gayle belongs to a rare class of cricketers who have scored two triple hundreds in Test cricket, which is just a testament to his legendary career. The swashbuckling left-hander featured in 103 Tests from which he amassed 7214 runs.

Gayle's first triple hundred came against South Africa in 2005, when he mauled the South African pacers by scoring runs all around the park. The South African bowling lineup comprised of well established bowlers such as Shaun Pollock, Makhaya Ntini, Jacques Kallis but Gayle was on an altogether different level as he scored 317 runs to register his first-ever triple century.

After South Africa scored a commendable total of 588/6 in the first innings that seemed to bring about a 0-3 rout of their opponents, it took a sensational knock from Gayle to help West Indies salvage a draw.

Chris Gayle's second triple hundred came in 2010 when he scored a career-best 333 against Sri Lanka at Galle International Stadium. The knock was filled with boundaries with the West Indian scoring 34 fours and nine sixes on his way to a gigantic 333.

With all matches in the three-match Test series concluding in a draw, Gayle's masterful knock of 333 remains the only memorable moment from West Indies' tour of Sri Lanka in 2010.

#3 Virender Sehwag

Virender Sehwag

On March 28th 2004, Virender Sehwag became the first Indian batsman to score a triple hundred in international Test cricket as he essayed a blissful knock of 309 against India's arch-rivals Pakistan at the Multan Cricket Stadium. Sehwag's historic inning paved the way for India to inflict a devasting loss upon Pakistan as the visitors won the match by an innings and 52 runs.

His majestic knock gave India the best possible start to the series which also saw the visitors register a 2-1 series win from the 3-match series. Virender Sehwag was rightly named as the Player of the Series for his efforts.

The 'King of Najafgarg' bettered his score of 309 in 2008 when he scored his second triple hundred as he carried out an onslaught against the South African bowlers in Chennai. The 309 still stands as the highest ever individual score registered by an Indian batsman in the longest format of the game.

Having scored better than a run-a-ball, Sehwag took the fight to the South African side, who were riding high on their first innings total of 540. Even the mighty Dale Steyn couldn't contain Sehwag on that day as the he made his way to a scintillating 319 off 304 balls.

#2 Brian Lara

West Indies v England, 4th Test, Day 1

Brian Lara is undoubtedly one of the greatest players of all-time. The West Indian was a run-machine whose sound technique and commendable temperament frightened quite a few bowlers back in the day.

Lara has a plethora of records to his name, one of which is the all-time highest individual score in Test cricket, accounting to the time he scored 400* against England in 2004 at St John's, Antigua. The former West Indies skipper became the first man in history to ever score 400 runs in an innings and the record is yet to be eclipsed or even equaled by any player.

However, his knock of 400 against England wasn't the only occasion when he crossed the magical 300-run mark in Test cricket, as his other triple hundred came against the very same opponent at the very same ground in 1994 when he had the entire arena at St John's buzzing, courtesy of his masterclass with the bat as he scored 375 to exhibit one of the most dominant innings to have ever been witnessed by the home side.

Lara was spectacular with the bat throughout the series as he scored a total of 798 runs in 5 Tests, with the next highest run-scorer being Michael Atherton, who amassed 510 runs, close to 300 runs less than the West Indian wizard.

Lara's dominance with the bat was one of the prime reasons that helped West Indies beat England 3-1 in the five-match series.

#1 Sir Don Bradman

Coming Out To Bat

With an average of 99.94, Sir Don Bradman takes his spot on the podium as one of the greatest batsman of all-time. The legendary Australian batsman is one of the most famous cricketers to have ever played the game, thanks to his masterclass with the bat and an array of records to his name.

Of all the oppositions, Bradman relished playing against one particular team and that was Australia's arch-rivals, England. The former Australian skipper scored a whopping amount of 5028 runs against England, including a staggering total of 19 centuries.

Bradman terrorised the English bowlers for many years, a period in which he scored two triple hundreds as well. He not only relished playing against England, but also playing on English pitches with Headingley being one of his favourites as both the times Sir Don Bradman crossed the 300-run mark was at Leeds' famous stadium.

The first of his triple hundreds came in 1930, when he scored 334 to become the first Australian to ever score a triple hundred. The series is famously remembered for Bradman's legendary exploits with the bat as he scored a total of 974 runs across five Tests and helped Australia regain the Ashes on English soil. Such was his brilliance that even the sternest of English supporters couldn't help but acknowledge Bradman's genius.

Bradman's second 300-plus score came in 1934 in when he scored 304 runs to help Australia recover from an early scare. The tourists were struggling at 39/3 when Bradman came to the crease and rest, as they say, is history as the legendary Australian talisman smashed the English bowlers all around the park to register his second triple century in Test cricket.

His partnership with Bill Ponsford brought the visitors back into the match as the tourists salvaged a draw. The match turned out to be crucial in determining the fate of the urn as Australia went on to win the series 2-1, with Bradman ending yet another Ashes series as the highest run-getter with 758 runs to his name.