5 Highest Individual Test Scores for India outside Asia

#4 Sunil Gavaskar 220 v West Indies, Port of Spain, 1971

Sunil Gavaskar slammed a massive double-ton in his very first Test series

The Indian Cricket Team landed in the West Indies in 1971 with a record of 6 losses, 4 draws, and no wins, in their 10 Tests in the land until then. Amongst them was a 22-year-old who was yet to play a Test Match for India. This diminutive man would go on to rewrite history books from that series itself.

Having made his debut in the first Test of the series, Gavaskar ran up scores of 65, 67*, 116, 64*, 1, and 117 in the first 3 Tests as India headed into the fourth Test with a 1-0 lead. In the fourth and final Test, Gavaskar compiled his third century of the series, taking his tally to 554 runs in 7 innings in the series. However, centuries from Davis and Sobers, and a 99 from Foster gave the home team a massive first-innings lead of 166.

With more than 2 days of play left, and Test Series win on the line, Gavaskar brought out his A-game- as if his 554 runs at an average of almost 111 was not good enough! The Little Master batted close to 9 hours, bringing up his first double century, and the highest score by an Indian in the West Indies- a record that still stands today. His tally of 774 runs in the series is the most by a debutant- another record that still stands.

By the time Gavaskar and others were done, India were 261 ahead and left with 40 overs to try and bowl out the West Indies. They cam achingly close- reducing the Windies to 165/8. Though the match was drawn, India had a historic first- their first Test Series win in the land of the mighty Caribbeans!