5 longest Test knocks against India 

Srikant
Alastair Cook India England Cricket
Alastair Cook made his Test debut against India and has an impressive record against the Men in Blue

Test cricket is the true pinnacle of the Gentleman's Game wherein the players' temperament, attitude, quality, and endurance are tested to the core. Only the finest players can make it big in the longest format of the game and achieve true greatness.

The five-day format can prove unforgiving for players who are sometimes forced to bowl and field under the scorching sun for long hours. It can be equally taxing for the batsmen whose concentration and fitness are put to the test like no other.

Spending long hours at the crease is no easy task and very few players have been able to survive and face more than 500 balls in an innings in Test cricket history.

The Indian cricket team have also been on the receiving end on a few occasions where opposition batsmen have made them toil on the field for hours on end.

Let's have a look at the five longest knocks that have been played against India in terms of balls faced in Test history.

#5 Alastair Cook - 545 balls

3rd Test, India tour of England at Birmingham, August 10-13, 2011

Alastair Cook has been one of England's greatest ever Test batsmen in history and though his powers may be on the decline now, he has been a phenomenal servant for England cricket as a player at the top of the order as well as captain.

India's tour of England in 2011 was a big disaster for MS Dhoni's side as they were whitewashed 4-0 in the Test series, lost the lone T20I as well as the five-match ODI series 3-0.

The Test series was a one-sided affair as the hosts completely dominated the proceedings and during the third Test at Birmingham, Alastair Cook made merry of the hapless Indian bowling by playing a mammoth inning of 294 which came of 545 balls - still his highest score in Test cricket.

Cook spent 773 minutes in the middle as he smashed 33 boundaries during his knock that helped England post 710 on the board in their first innings. England skipper Andrew Strauss declared the England innings at the fall of Cook's wicket, dismissed by Ishant Sharma.

India, who were dismissed for 224 in the first innings, fared only marginally better in the second innings, scoring 244 runs as England won the match by an innings and 242 runs.

As expected, Alastair Cook bagged the Man-of-the-Match award.

#4 Geoffrey Boycott - 555 balls

1st Test, India tour of England at Leeds, Jun 8-13, 1967

GeoffreyBoycott India England Test Cricket
Boycott's knock of 246 against India at Headingley was his highest in Test cricket

Another English batsman features with Geoffrey Boycott's unbeaten knock of 246 off 555 balls during the first innings of the 1st Test of India's tour of England in 1967 making it at the number four spot in terms of longest innings played by opposition batsmen against India in Tests.

The hosts won the toss and elected to bat first and Boycott made the most of the opportunity as an Indian attack that had the spin triumvirate of Bishen Singh Bedi, Bhagwath Chandrasekhar, and Erapalli Prasanna was unable to dismiss the English opener who spent 573 minutes out in the middle.

India were dismissed for a paltry total of 164 in their first innings but put up a good fight in the second innings with skipper Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi scoring a valiant 148 to help his side put up 510 runs on the board.

Boycott did not come out to bat in the second innings but England were able to chase down the target of 126 runs easily with six wickets in hand.

#3 Brendon McCullum - 559 balls

2nd Test, India tour of New Zealand at Wellington, Feb 14-18, 2014

Brendon McCullum India New Zealand Cricket
McCullum led from the front with a triple century that helped New Zealand save the Test

Brendon McCullum has been a cricketer par excellence for New Zealand and while his explosive style of batting has made him one of the most exciting players in the shorter formats of the game, his Test record proves that he has been phenomenal in the longer format of the game as well.

His highest score in Test cricket came against India at Wellington in 2014 when he led from the front as skipper, scoring a mammoth 302 runs to help his side save the Test after New Zealand had conceded a 246-run first innings lead.

At 94/5 in the second innings, the hosts were well on their way to a heavy defeat only for McCullum to step up with an iconic innings that lasted 775 minutes at the crease, having faced 559 balls.

Centuries from BJ Watling and Jimmy Neesham helped New Zealand's cause no doubt but if not for the brilliant knock from McCullum, India would very well have won the match and thereby equalised the series at 1-1 having lost the opening Test of the series.

#2 Roshan Mahanama - 561 balls

1st Test, India tour of Sri Lanka at Colombo, Aug 2-6, 1997

Roshan-Mahanama Sri Lanka Cricket
Mahanama scored 225 runs while putting on a then world record partnership alongside Sanath Jayasuriya

The Colombo Test between Sri Lanka and India in 1997 was a bowler's graveyard with runs being scored for fun and with no prospect of a result, batsmen from both sides decided to make the most of a drab surface to boost their batting averages.

It was India's turn first as Navjot Singh Sidhu, Sachin Tendulkar and Mohammad Azharuddin all scored centuries to help the visitors pile on 537 in the first innings before declaring their innings before the close of play on Day 2.

Sri Lanka lost Marvan Atapattu relatively early on but any hopes India might have had about making more inroads into the home batting line-up quickly evaded as Roshan Mahanama and Sanath Jayasuriya toiled with the Indian bowling with their stubborn batting display.

The duo put on a mammoth 576-run stand for the 2nd wicket - a then world record for the highest partnership in Test history - with Mahanama scoring 225 runs during his stay at the crease which lasted 561 deliveries and 753 minutes.

Jayasuriya's stay at the crease was a bit longer - in fact, still, the longest Test innings played by an opposition player in terms of balls faced and minutes spent at the crease - and let's have a look at it in detail next.

#1 Sanath Jayasuriya - 578 balls

1st Test, India tour of Sri Lanka at Colombo, Aug 2-6, 1997

Sanath Jayasuriya 340 Sri Lanka Cricket India
Jayasuriya registered his highest Test score of 340 runs off 578 balls against India at Colombo in 1997

When people talk of Sanath Jayasuriya, they often reflect on his exploits in the limited-overs format, but with an average of over 40 in Test cricket, the Sri Lankan legend proved that he had much more in his kitty than just blind hitting.

The Indian team has been at the receiving end of the big-hitting from the left-hander on many occasions with his highest score in both ODI and Test cricket coming against the Men in Blue.

While Sharjah was the venue when Jayasuriya raked up 189 against India in the final of the Coca-Cola Champions Trophy final in 2000, Colombo was witness to his highest score in the Test format as he piled on 340 runs against India, making the opposition toil on the field for nearly two days with no joy.

He found an able partner in Roshan Mahanama who made 225 runs from 561 balls and though Jayasuriya faced only 17 balls more, the destructive ability Jayasuriya possesses made its mark as he scored 340 runs in an innings featuring 36 boundaries and two sixes.

He followed it up with a 226-ball 199 in the second Test and was deservedly named the Man-of-the-Series for his exploits and it is to the credit of a player who revolutionized the game of cricket that his innings that lasted 578 balls way back in 1997 is still the longest knock by an opposition player against India in Test history.

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Edited by Arvind Sriram