5 current batters who can break Brian Lara's record for the highest individual Test score ft. Yashasvi Jaiswal 

Legendary West Indies batter Brian Lara has held the record for the highest individual score in Test cricket twice, with the existing one being set way back in 2004. Across the last two decades, batters have hovered near it, but have never once defiantly breached it.

South Africa all-rounder Wiaan Mulder came tantalisingly close to the iconic 400, but chose to declare at 367 instead, choosing to leave the legacy as it is. However, in cricket, no record is arguably safe and eternal. Although run scoring has been difficult in the result-driven World Test Championship (WTC) era, there is no doubt that as far as talent is concerned, there are several candidates capable of overthrowing Brian Lara's long-standing record, if the opportunity arises.

On that note, let us take a look at five current batters who can break Brian Lara's record for the highest individual Test score.

#1 Yashasvi Jaiswal

One of the two current batters earmarked by Brian Lara himself to break the record, Yashasvi Jaiswal has all the necessary ingredients to achieve it in the future. Although facing the new ball can be a challenge, he in turn has the luxury of time to play a marathon innings without the fear of declaration or being bowled out.

In his short career so far, the opening batter has shown that he has the appetitie for big runs, the temperament to stay at the crease for long periods of time, and a natural attacking manner of scoring as well. The southpaw has already scored two double-hundreds in his career, one of which was an unbeaten 214 off 236 deliveries.

Jaiswal has a high score of 265 in first-class cricket, which he scored at a strike rate of 82.04. He recorded his career-high score during the 2022 Duleep Trophy Final against South Zone. If he plays his cards right, there will be an opportunity in the future, where all stars align in terms of conditions and the team's need for a truckload of runs, where he can bat long and potentially script history.

#2 Harry Brook

The England batter at No.5, the second candidate that Lara has backed to break his record, has the license to get going from the start as he usually comes in against the old ball, tired bowlers, and relatively eased up conditions. Brook has already made the most of the factors to boast an average of 60.

Another major contributor to that imperious average is some massive knocks, where he has batted for long, cashing in on the conditions. In his maiden tour, he slammed three hundreds, including a quickfire 153 at the strike rate of 131.90.

In 2024, he slammed a stunning 317 in the first innings of the first Test against Pakistan, which is also his highest score in first-class cricket. With a triple hundred already against his name, a career strike rate of over 80, and an insatiable appetite, Brook could very well reach the elusive 400-run mark somewhere down the road.

#3 Joe Root

The ace England batter has six double hundreds in Test, but has never managed to scale the triple hundred mark or beyond. However, that does not suggest that he is not capable of it, because the skill and the temperament are there for all to see.

Equipped with the ability to play shots all around the ground, and well capable of tackling both pace and spin with ease, Root has what it takes to score a triple hundred and beyond, at least on paper.

Although hardly a modern-day player who takes the attack to the opposition and slams hundreds and double hundreds at a quick rate, Root's old-school ability to protect and put a price on his wicket and score at a decent rate to frustrate the opponents and bat for long hours could be traits that can help him to inch his way to a record score one day in the future, and take a huge chunk out of the gap that separates him and Sachin Tendulkar.

#4 Shubman Gill

The new Shubman Gill, who has worked on his weaknesses, and makes the most of his starts, is well capable of breaking the record. His temperament is on a whole other level after scoring 430 runs in a single Test. He looked invincible across both those knocks, and his dismissal largely came because the team innings was heading to an end too.

If exposed to such wickets, and with a scenario that is a little different, where time is not of the essence, Gill can certainly capitalize by playing long, switching up gears like he usually does to ultimately scale the record one day.

For a player who has a double hundred in ODI cricket, and a high score of 129 in T20 cricket, 400 in Tests is not an unrealistic figure to attain in Tests.

#5 Tristan Stubbs

A rather left-field choice, but not one to be discounted. The skillful right-handed batter is still finding his best position in the South African Test team, but is destined for a top-four spot at some time or the other.

He showed promise as a modern-day No.3 in Tests, scoring a couple of hundreds. Although he does not come across as a natural red-ball batter, it might not prove to be a disadvantage when it comes to breaching his particular record.

Stubbs' skillset and ability to play aggressively when needed on the back of his white-ball foundation can prove to be useful in this case. It certainly helped him when he slammed an unbeaten 302 in a domestic fixture for the Warriors in February 2024.

The batter dug in hard for over eight hours to score his triple hundred off 372 deliveries after coming into bat when the team were reeling at 20-2.