5 fastest Test innings by Indian batsmen

There was a time when it was said, jokingly, that Indian batsmen had to be told that they were not batting in a timeless Test. One may say that it was harsh given that stolid batting was the norm back (at least) till the 80s, but lack of favourable results meant that India was looked upon as a side that didn't play to win at all. While a certain Kapil Dev's daredevilry did bring about winds of change, it didn't quite stir the status quo as it should have.

It was only after the likes of Dravid, Laxman, Sehwag, and Ganguly came into their own that India could rely on more than just one batsman (Sachin Tendulkar) and forge results. And this can be backed up by facts: Out of India's total 148 Test wins, 87 (60%) have come since 2000. Much of it has had to do with an assemblage of batsmen who mastered all of its myriad aspects. But there has been one thing in common; the mindset. Aggressive batting is no more the exception, it has become the norm.

While much can be written about how much Indian cricket has changed over the years, this article has a limited purview but is about what has been talked about in the previous lines; Batting at it's belligerent, match-changing best.

In a follow up to a previous article by this writer (Fastest Test Innings of all time), I will count down the 5 fastest Test innings by Indian batsmen (Min 50 Runs). There are some expected and some (or, at least one) surprises in there. So, read on.

#5 MS Dhoni 69(52) vs WI - Antigua(2006) [4*4s, 6*6s, SR - 132.69]

The renaissance man of Indian cricket, MS Dhoni is first up in the list. It would be futile to give even a brief background of him, as no other cricketer apart from Sachin Tendulkar has been followed and worshipped as much as him. He was much more than just an answer to India's half a decade-long search for a wicket-keeper batsman. If Tendulkar made fans out of viewers, Dhoni, with his humble background and self-assurance, turned them into believers. Much like the American dream, his rise has come to personify the Indian dream.

MS was a flamboyant and attacking batsman who could take apart any bowling attack with consummate ease (watch his demolition of Shoaib Akhtar en route his 148 vs Pakistan at Faisalabad). While a Test average of 38.09 is underwhelming for a batsman of his raw ability, he nevertheless managed to play some scintillating innings in a topsy-turvy 90 Test career.

The innings in question here is sadly not available on the internet. The fifth fastest 50 plus score in Indian Test history was made against the West Indies during the first Test at Antigua. After India had conceded a lead of 130 runs after having been put into bat by Brian Lara, Wasim Jaffer anchored India's second innings with a crafty double century (212) and when Dhoni came into bat at No.6, he decided to up the tempo with some lusty hitting. India declared with a 391 run read and West Indies would eventually hold on to a draw in what turned out to be a nail-biting contest that stretched to the last ball.

#4 Kapil Dev - 73(52) vs Pakistan at Karachi - 1982-83, [12*4s, 1*6, SR - 137.73]

If the media had been around in the 80s, Kapil's popularity would have soared much as Dhoni's did in the 2000s. Like Dhoni, Kapil also came from a humble background and instilled self-belief in a team through his virtuoso performances. I suggest readers check out the 7-page profile on Kapil Dev's 7-56 vs Pakistan in Patrick Ferriday's book 'Supreme Bowling' to get a sense a small town boy's experience of the bureaucratic hierarchy of the Indian dressing room.

Now to the innings in question, India was completely humiliated during the 1982/83 tour of Pakistan. 3 Pakistani batsmen scored more than 500 runs against India's modest bowling line-up, but much more humiliating was India's much-vaunted batting line-up failing against the rampaging Imran Khan who galloped 40 wickets for the series. It is this context that Kapil's innings of 73 in the second Test at Karachi seems all the greater. India was put into bat on a flat deck and swiftly reduced to 55-4 when Kapil came into bat. In a breath-taking innings full of deft-cuts, sweeps, and off-drives, Kapil took the Pakistani bowling (especially Abdul Qadir) to the cleaners and helped his team escape utter annihilation. India eventually capitulated to an innings defeat, but Kapil did what he did best, make his presence felt in even the deadest of circumstances.

#3 Mohammad Azharuddin - 109(77) vs South Africa at Kolkata - 1996, [18*4s, 1*6, SR - 141.55]

In the most endearing chapter of his wonderful book 'Democracy's XI,' Rajdeep Sardesai profiles Mohammed Azharuddin as a man who never gave in to the details of technique and planning. Brought up by his staunchly religious maternal grandfather, there was an air of carefree genius about him, a belief that his benevolent 'Allah' is always by his side as his guiding light. It reflected quite often in his batting for on his day, Mohammad Azharuddin could be irresistible, with a combination of wristy elegance and power, he could lay threadbare the mediocrities of even the best bowling attacks in the world.

After slamming centuries in his first three Tests (a feat that hasn't been repeated since), Azharuddin went on to enjoy a Test career of fabulous heights and some depthless troughs. At the height of his powers, even a brief blitz from 'Mian Ji' could overshadow everything else; his 121 vs England at Lords' in 1990 was made in the same Test as Graham Gooch's 333, but at the end of the Test, Mian Ji's better than run-a-ball century was the talking point for he took on a better bowling unit in a display of masterly batting.

It is a similar knock that we're talking about in this article. South Africa's first tour of India after the Apartheid was significant for Azhar for he had been relieved from Captaincy, and was eager to prove a point to the selectors. In the second Test of that series, India was asked to bowl first on a dusty Kolkata wicket as South Africa piled on 428 runs in the first innings. India were in trouble at 77-3 in their reply when Azhar came in to bat and in further trouble at 161-7 when he resumed his innings after being hit on the forearm by a rising ball from Brian McMillan. From then on, Azhar began a breathtaking assault on the Proteas, choosing debutant Lance Klusner for a special spanking as he raced to a 74 ball century (still the fastest by an Indian batsman). If the qualification for this article is reset to a century plus innings, then this innings would be at the top.

'Allah' was surely by Mian Ji's side that day.

#2 Harbhajan Singh 54(37) vs England at Trentbridge (2002); [10*4s, 0*6s, SR - 145.93]

Here is the surprise I was talking about at the start, it's not Sehwag but the Turbanator who occupies the second spot in this list. In the 2nd Test of India's 2002 tour to England, India were put into bat by England and although Virender Sehwag scored a majestic 106 (his first century as an opener), India was struggling at 295-8 when Harbhajan Singh came into bat. Up against a fine pace battery consisting Matthew Hoggard, Steve Harmison, and Andy Flintoff, Harbhajan played with an abandon that is typical of a tail-ender. He took the bowling on and scored a brisk half-century that guided India to a competitive score of 357. England took a massive 260 run lead in the first innings, and it was the combined heroics of Dravid (115), Tendulkar (Vintage innings of 92), and Ganguly (99) in India's second innings that saved them the blushes of defeat.

But had it not been for Harbhajan's heroics in the first innings, India could well have ended up on the losing side.

#1 Kapil Dev - 89(55) vs England at Lord's (1982) [13*4s, 3*6s, SR - 161.81]

Occupying the top spot is the maverick Kapil Dev, who makes his second appearance in the list, and no better innings could have held this honour. For a few months prior to this series, Kapil's claim as an all-rounder was in doubt for while he was producing the goods with the ball, his batting left a lot to be desired. England, meanwhile, had Ian Botham who was fresh from the triumphant Ashes series and was easily England's leading batsman 'and' bowler. The two all-rounders' head to head contest for one-upmanship was the highlight of this series for what one did, the other did it better.

In the first Test of the series at Lords', India were asked to bowl as England piled on 433 in their first innings with Kapil Dev returning figures of 5-125. India's reply was pathetic with only Gavaskar offering (token) resistance with a knock of 48 in a team total of 128. Following-on, India fared better in the second innings a Vengsarkar led the charge with a stylish 157 but were still in the dumps when Kapil arrived at the crease at 252/6. What followed was absolute carnage as Kapil played one of the great counter-attacking innings by an Indian batsman overseas. In a dazzling display of shots all around the wicket (especially the nonchalant hoick over square-leg for six off Botham), Kapil entertained the scant crowd which was fortunate enough to witness it. Had he continued, he would have broken the record for the fastest Test century.

It is for no reason that Gavaskar is irked at the very mention of a comparison between Kapil Dev and Hardik Pandya, he has witnessed so much of the former's mastery that he is justified in the extremely high regard he has for the champion all-rounder.