6 Greatest Test knocks by Indian batsmen in this millennium

India's Test cricket history is now stretched over 86 years when the team had played its first ever Test against England in 1932. India has come a long way since its inception in cricket and are currently the best Test team in the world.

It has been possible due to all the inspiring performances by all the Indian players over the years. India has been fortunate to have a rich resource of batting talent which never seems to stop.

The legacy that started with Vijay Merchant to Tiger Pataudi and from Sunil Gavaskar to Sachin Tendulkar and now Virat Kohli is carrying that batting supremacy.

In this period, the Indian players have played amazing knocks which have inspired many generations. The batsmen have played a huge role in taking the Indian cricket to a whole new level.

Let us find out these vital knocks post-2000 era which helped the Indian team become a dominant force in the longest version of the game:

---

#6 Virat Kohli 141 vs Australia

Virat Kohli has been the fulcrum of the current Indian middle order

Virat Kohli has been in incredible touch from the past 4-5 years and has shown great consistency with the bat. In the 2014 England tour, he had a miserable outing and questions were raised on his ability as a Test player.

In the 2014-15 Australian tour, Kohli answered his critics and had scored four centuries in the Test series. The knock of 141 in the second inning of the first Test was the turning point in his career and was one of the best innings Down Under.

India needed 364 runs with a required rate of almost above four on the fifth-day track. It seemed that the team would go for the draw but Kohli, the stand-in skipper, had different ideas and went for the win. With Murali Vijay and Kohli were scoring runs easily, it seemed they would pull a miraculous chase but eventually lost the match by 48 runs.

Kohli's valiant century during the chase was one of the defining knocks in Tests as it created a chance to win this Test from an impossible situation and made a belief in the Indian team are here to compete and most importantly to win.

#5 Gautam Gambhir 137 vs New Zealand

Gautam Gambhir was one of the greatest Indian openers

Gautam Gambhir was one of the big match winners for India in all the formats. When it comes to match-winning performances, his two knocks: one in the World T20 final and the other in 50-over World Cup final will always remain special in the heart of Indian fans.

There was one such special inning in the Test format which took a special effort from the Delhi batsman. India faced an uphill task before them when they were dismissed for 305 in the first inning and were asked to follow with a deficit of 314 runs. With almost two days of play left, a loss seemed inevitable.

Gambhir, on the other hand, had different ideas and played one of the grittiest innings. He scored an unbeaten 137 runs off 436 balls which lasted for almost 11 hours. As a result of this performance, India went on to draw this match miraculously and won the series 1-0.

Gambhir's knock was full of determination and concentration which helped the Indian team bailout from an impossible situation and will always be one of the most special knocks in the Test history.

#4 Virender Sehwag 309 vs Pakistan

Virender Sehwag changed the dynamics of Test cricket with his batting style

Virender Sehwag known for his aggressive style was a complete entertainer with the bat. It was obvious that he would be a complete package for the limited overs format but many experts believed that he would fail in Test cricket with this approach.

The Nawab of Najafgarh proved everyone wrong, and his 309 against Pakistan in 2004 was a breakthrough performance. He became the first Indian batsman to score a triple century. He annihilated the Pakistan bowling attack with his power hitting which included the likes of Shoaib Ahktar, Mohammad Sami and Abdul Razzak.

Sehwag's 309 included 39 boundaries and six sixes, and it was also one of the fastest triple century scored by him and second to Matthew Hayden in the list.

Sehwag's innings will always be remembered as one of the most destructive innings in the history of Test cricket.

#3 Sachin Tendulkar 241 vs Australia

Sachin Tendulkar has performed consistently over the years in Test format

India had an incredible tour of Australia in 2004 which ended the Test series by 1-1. Sachin Tendulkar had a relatively moderate outing up until the 3rd Test.

Coming into the fourth Test, Sachin was under immense pressure, and it was his off-side play that was giving him trouble, and he decided he wouldn't drive through the covers.

The little master had a brief discussion with his elder brother Ajit about his technique and made a decision to change his play. He took up the challenge and decided to play a waiting game.

He was very determined not to get out, to remain unbeaten till the very end. In more than 10 hours at the crease, he did not play a single cover drive.

It was an innings of extreme discipline as Sachin set about gathering runs. He faced 436 balls and ended with 241 runs with 33 boundaries and was unbeaten when India declared after scoring 705 runs.

It was one of the best Test innings as he showed great resilience and grit to curb his natural game.

#2 Rahul Dravid 233 vs Australia

Rahul Dravid has performed well in overseas conditions

Rahul Dravid had been one of the fulcrums of the Indian batting line-up in the past two decades. He consistently scored runs all over the world and won matches single-handedly. His strong defensive technique and the ability to stay long at the crease were the hallmarks of his batting.

Dravid played an amazing inning in the second Test against Australia at Adelaide. The Aussies had posted a daunting first innings score of 556 runs and India looked in deep trouble with the score reading 85 for 4.

It seemed that the Indian team would find difficult to save the follow-on after the middle-order collapse, but resilient Dravid was not ready to throw in the towel yet.

The Karnataka batsman along with VVS Laxman built a huge partnership of 305 runs and helped the team in getting close to the first innings total. Dravid went on to score an impressive double century and was the last man to get dismissed on 233.

With the help of Dravid's innings, India took the lead in the four-match Test series by 1-0. He also played a crucial role in the second innings and scored unbeaten 72 while chasing a difficult target of 233.

Dravid's innings is probably the best innings in overseas condition played by any Indian overseas batsmen.

#1 VVS Laxman 281 vs Australia

VVS Laxman has bailed out the team on numerous occasion

Australia's tour of India in 2001 was special in many ways as the series was closely fought between the two competitive teams. The Aussies were determined to conquer the India fortress, and they almost pulled off a series win until the most defining knock played by VVS Laxman changed it completely.

India was down and out of the series after they were thrashed in the first Test by Australia. The Aussies continued their dominance in the second match and posted 445 runs in the first innings. In response to the innings total, India failed miserably and was bundled out for mere 171 runs.

The Australian enforced the follow-on and India were in deep trouble after losing four wickets with 232 runs on the board. It seemed that the loss was inevitable, but VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid stitched an amazing partnership of 376 runs which lasted for four sessions.

Laxman played an unbelievable knock of 281 runs considering the context of the match situation and series on the line. As a result of his incredible innings, India pulled off a miraculous win with some special bowling performances.

This knock was the most amazing innings as it embarked the beginning of the golden era and also created a sense of hope, especially after the match-fixing scandal.