6 Indian batsmen with hundred in each innings of a Test match

Rohit Sharma made a brilliant debut as Test opener scoring 176 in the first innings of the first Test at Visakhapatnam against South Africa. He continued his impressive show in the second innings as well, caressing his way to 127 as India maintained in the upper hand over the Proteas.

After sharing a massive 317-run stand with Mayank Agarwal in the first innings, Rohit shattered a few more records in the second innings as well. With his hundred in the second innings, he became the first batsman to score a hundred in each innings of a Test match on debut as opener.

Rohit hit 23 fours and 6 sixes in the first innings and 10 fours and 7 sixes in the second. With a total of 13 sixes, he is now the record holder for the Indian batsman with most number of sixes in a Test. Navjot Singh Sidhu held the previous record when he smashed eight sixes against Sri Lanka at Lucknow in 1994. During the course of the innings, Rohit also overtook Rahul Dravid’s record six successive fifty plus scores at home.

As for hitting a hundred in each innings, Rohit is now the sixth Indian to achieve the feat.

Here’s a look at five Indian batsmen who notched up a hundred in each innings before Rohit.

Vijay Hazare

The legendary Vijay Hazare was the first Indian batsman to score a hundred in both innings of a Test match. He achieved this feat during India’s tour of Australia in 1948, in the 4th Test at Adelaide played from January 23-28.

Australia batted first and put up a massive 674 on the board as Don Bradman led the way with 201. Lindsay Hassett ended unbeaten on 198 while Sid Barnes made 112. India managed 381 in response with Dattu Phadkar top-scoring with 123 and Hazare scoring 116. The latter hit 14 fours in his 303-ball stay.

India were made to follow on, and Hazare again stood up to the Aussie bowling with a hard-fought 145. This time, Hazare hit 17 fours before being bowled by Ray Lindwall. Hemu Adhikari contributed 51 but the other Indian batsmen could not do much as India folded up for 277 and lost by an innings and 16 runs. Lindwall ran through India in the second innings with 7 for 38.

Also see – World Test Championship points table

Sunil Gavaskar

The Little Master is in a league of his own when it comes to scoring a hundred in both innings of a Test match, having done so three times in his illustrious career. The first occasion was the 5th Test of the famed 1971 tour of West Indies, played at Port-of-Spain from April 13-19. Batting first, India posted 360, with Gavaskar top-scoring with 124, an innings in which he hit 11 fours.

After West Indies responded with 526 all out, with tons from Charlie Davis and Garry Sobers, Gavaskar did even better in the second innings, notching up a double hundred. He batted for 529 minutes and hit 22 fours in his 220 before being bowled by John Shepherd. Chasing 262, West Indies survived with a draw, finishing on 165 for 8.

The second instance of Gavaskar scoring a hundred in each innings came during the 3rd Test of India’s tour of Pakistan in 1978, played at Karachi from November 14-19. India batted first and made 344 all out as Gavaskar led the way with 111 before being dismissed by Imran Khan. After Pakistan edged ahead with 481 for 9 built around Javed Miandad’s hundred, Gavaskar led the fightback for India, scoring 137 with the aid of 20 fours. India were, however, all out for 300 with Sarfraz Nawaz claiming five wickets and Pakistan went on to win the Test by eight wickets, chasing 164.

The third and final time Gavaskar notched up a hundred in each innings came at Kolkata against the West Indies, during the 3rd Test of the series in 1978-79. India batted first, and Gavaskar was the lone ranger of sorts with 107 as the hosts managed only 300. It could have been worse but for Kapil Dev’s brisk 61 lower down the innings. Opener Basil Williams’ 111 saw West Indies responding with 327.

India took the game away from West Indies in the second innings, as Gavaskar made a brilliant unbeaten 182 and Dilip Vengsarkar made an equally impressive 157 not out. Chasing 335 for victory, West Indies had the narrowest of escapes as they finished on 197 for 9 in 105.1 overs. Karsan Ghavri and S. Venkataraghavan picked up four and three wickets respectively in the tense finish.

Rahul Dravid

India’s redoubtable wall, renowned for playing marathon knocks, not surprisingly scored a hundred in each innings of a Test twice. The first instance was during the third Test of India’s tour of New Zealand in 1999, played at Hamilton from January 2-6. After the Kiwis posted a competitive 366 on the board, Dravid led India’s response with a magnificent 190. His knock was punctuated with 31 fours and lasted 354 balls as India finished with 416. The innings also saw Javagal Srinath hitting his Test best of 76.

New Zealand were highly impressive in the second innings. They made 464 for 8 declared with Chris Cairns smashing 126 and Craig McMillan 84. Chasing 415, India were under pressure as Navjot Sidhu and Ajay Jadeja fell cheaply. But, Dravid stuck it out and remained unbeaten on 103 from 136 balls. His future captain Sourav Ganguly also hit an undefeated 101 as India drew the game with ease.

Dravid again scored twin hundreds, during the second Test of Pakistan’s tour of India in 2005, held at Kolkata from March 16-20. Dravid’s 110 was the bedrock of India’s first-innings total of 407. It was a knock featuring 19 fours and a rare six, before he was caught behind off Danish Kaneria. At the top, Virender Sehwag contributed 81 from 114.

Pakistan responded in impressive fashion, making 393 as Younis Khan hit 147 and Mohammad Yousuf scored 104. India needed to bat well in the second innings, and once again, it was 'The Wall’ who shouldered the bulk of the responsibility, making a composed 135 from 283 balls. Dinesh Karthik also contributed a combative 93 as India declared on 407 for 9. Set to chase 422, Anil Kumble ran through the Pakistan line up with 7 for 63 as India emerged triumphant by 195 runs.

Virat Kohli

The current Indian skipper is also part of the elite list. He entered the club during the first Test of India’s tour of Australia in 2014, held at Adelaide from December 9-13. After hundreds from David Warner, Michael Clarke and Steve Smith enabled Australia declare at 515 for 7, Kohli’s 115 kept India in the Test. His innings, which featured 12 fours, came off 184 balls. India managed to finish with 444 as Murali Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane also hit fifties.

Warner then hit his second century of the Test as Australia set India a tough target of 364. Kohli almost pulled off the chase for India. He featured in a 185-run third wicket stand with Vijay. At one stage, India were well placed at 242 when Nathan Lyon trapped Vijay for 99. The floodgates opened after that. Kohli also fell to Lyon for 141, to leave India at 304 for 7. The visitors eventually folded up for 315 as Lyon grabbed 7 for 152.

Ajinkya Rahane

Before Rohit, another Mumbai man had hit two hundreds in a Test, and that was also against South Africa. Rahane did the same during the 4th Test of the 2015 tour played at Delhi from December 3-7. Batting first, India stumbled to 66 for 3 before Rahane rescued the hosts with an assured 127. The middle-order batsman faced 215 deliveries during his stay at the crease, and hit 11 fours and 4 sixes. Ravichandran Ashwin contributed 56 as India finished on a competitive 334 all out.

In response, Ravindra Jadeja ran through the Proteas with 5 for 30 in 12 overs. AB de Villiers top-scored for the visitors with 42 as they folded up for 121 in 49.3 overs. Under no pressure, Rahane eased his way to an unbeaten 100 from 206 balls, with 8 fours and 3 sixes. Kohli contributed 88 as India set South Africa an improbable 481. The visitors faltered for the second time in the Test, folding up for 143. This time, Ashwin claimed 5 for 61.

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