5 Test centuries scored by Indian Bowlers

The Indian tail has on occasions responded brilliantly to the team needs, here are five Test centuries which were scored by specialist Indian bowlers

In the Test match against Pakistan at Chennai in 1999, India needed 17 runs to win with three wickets in hand. All four bowlers batting from 8th to 11th position combined to add only 10 runs and India lost the match in the most excruciating way.

After a few years though we saw a remarkable change in the way our bowlers batted. They became confident in their stroke making and soon started posing challenges for the opposition bowlers. The situation has improved so much that now our 8th position batsman has four Test centuries to his name while our number nine has scored three triple tons in first-class cricket.

Before reaching this stage, there have been some excellent innings executed by specialist Indian bowlers. Here are the five Test centuries which were scored by Indian bowlers

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#5 Ajit Agarkar 109* vs England, Lord’s, 2002

When the wiry and fragile Mumbai bowler burst out on the scene with his express pace and pronounced swing movement, he was the next hope of Indian Cricket. The search of a genuine fast bowler seemed to have ended with the promise of Ajit Agarkar. He staked a claim by becoming the fastest bowler to 50 ODI wickets, internationally.

Another skill at which Agarkar was considered to be good at was batting. After the embarrassing run of seven ducks against Australia, the bowler redeemed himself in the most unimaginable way. He became only the seventh Indian batsman to score a Test century at Lord’s.

In the first Test of the English tour of 2002, the home team piled up 487 runs in their first outing. The Indian team was routed for only 221 and with a quick reply from England, received a target of 568 runs. With India tottering at 170/6, an embarrassing loss was looming large.

The presence of the tail-batting specialist VVS Laxman at the other end strengthened the confidence of Ajit Agarkar, who went on to play the innings of his life. Agarkar remained undefeated till the end and essayed a glorious 109* including 16 boundaries.

India ultimately lost the match by 170 runs but it is this knock that remains etched as one of the wonders of Indian Cricket.

#4 Anil Kumble 110* vs England, The Oval, 2006

Anil Kumble celebrating his maiden Test century

The legendary Indian leg-spinner is known for a unique style of leg spin, his record haul of 10 wickets in a Test inning and his stern national captaincy. The unexplored facet remains his courageous and doughty batting which would keep opposition bowlers at bay.

In India’s England tour of 2006, Anil Kumble achieved a feat which Shane Warne desired desperately but could never accomplish. A Test century. Leading into the third Test at Oval, India already had a lead of 1-0 and merely had to ensure a win or a draw to complete an away Test series victory.

Choosing to bat first, the Indian batsmen made most of the helpful pitch with as many as four out of the top six batsmen crossing the half-century mark. When Kumble walked out to bat, India was already in a dominant position with the score reading 417/6.

After enjoying Dhoni’s whirlwind 92(81), Kumble assumed the mantle of run-scoring and led India towards an unassailable total. With the last batsman S.Sreesanth batting well, Kumble’s dream of scoring his maiden Test century was within reach. An accidental undercut that went through the wicketkeeper gave the leg-spinner the sweetest moment of his illustrious career as he reached the three-figure mark. It could not have happened to a better man.

#3 Harbhajan Singh 115 vs New Zealand, Ahmedabad, 2010

Harbhajan Singh celebrates his Test century against New Zealand, 2010

The 21-year old off spinner forced the world to take notice of himself with his incredible bowling hauls against Australia which included the first-ever Test hat-trick for India.

Harbhajan Singh, who has taken 417 Test wickets, has helped India on numerous occasions with his crash-bang batting style.

'The Turbanator’s greatest contribution with the bat arrived at a very crucial moment for India. After gaining a slender lead of 28 runs over New Zealand in the first Test, the home team exposed themselves in grave danger with the score reading 15/5.

The partnership between VVS Laxman and MS Dhoni steadied a few nerves, but India was not out of the woods when Dhoni returned with the score being 65/6. Harbhajan Singh, who walked out next, flailed his bat ferociously and marauded the Kiwi bowling.

With the array of natural attacking strokes, Harbhajan outscored VVS Laxman and was the significant contributor in the 163 runs partnership where his share was 93.

Bhajji’s onslaught pushed the New Zealand bowling on the backfoot and managed to secure a draw from what was a losing battle. The Turbanator scored another century in the next Test and proved that the previous innings was not a fluke.

#2 Jayant Yadav 104 vs England, Mumbai, 2016

Jayant Yadav has a Test century on his name

Primarily known for his right-arm off spin ability as a bowler, Jayant Yadav is no muck with the bat. His first-class batting average of 31.68 with three centuries and seven half-centuries establish his credentials with the bat, to go along with his 129 victims.

For the five-match long Test series at home against England, India trusting the batting skills of Ravi Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja opted for another spinner and handed a Test cap to Jayant Yadav in the second Test of the series. The debutant snapped four wickets in the Test and scored 62 runs in total as well.

In the fourth Test at Wankhede, India replying to England’s first innings total of 400, was well set with the score being 262/2. The wicket of Vijay started a mini-collapse. India stood at a precarious 364/7 still trailing England by 36 runs.

In walked Jayant Yadav to accompany Virat Kohli. He played second fiddle to the class batsman and in the effort raced to his maiden Test century.

His innings of 104 played a crucial part in the 241-run partnership for the 8th wicket with Kohli. India ultimately claimed the Test by an innings and 36 runs.

#1 Ravi Ashwin 103 vs West Indies, Mumbai, 2011

R.Ashwin has scored four Test centuries against West Indies

Starting off as an opening batsman for Tamilnadu in the age-group cricket, Ravi Ashwin later switched to bowling off-breaks for a living.

His bowling style suited perfectly to the spin-friendly Indian pitches and he soon became the spearhead bowler for India. His batting showed glimpses of his practiced defensive technique.

Ashwin’s Test debut occurred in the India-West Indies three-match Test series played in India in 2011. In his first Test at Delhi, Ashwin picked up nine wickets leading to an Indian win and was awarded the Man of the Match award on his debut. The third and last Test was scheduled at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.

On the placid track of Mumbai, West Indies batting first raised a huge total of 590 in their first innings. In reply, the Indian batting stood strong on the back of Sachin Tendulkar (94) and Rahul Dravid (82). When Ashwin came out to bat, India were 331/6, still trailing by 259 runs.

Playing with dogged resistance, Ashwin first supported Virat Kohli and subsequently led the batting charge after Virat’s dismissal.

Ashwin’s 103 with 15 boundaries and two sixes helped India to concede only 108 runs trail. He played a crucial role in the second innings too by ensuring a draw with India nine wickets down at one stage.

After this century, R. Ashwin has added three more Test centuries in his batting record. Incidentally, all four are against West Indies.