Top 5 Test performances in 2017

The iconic Boxing Day Ashes Test between Australia and England, that concluded on Saturday, December 30, in a draw, brought down the curtain on a fairly memorable year for the longest format of the game.

The Virat Kohli-led Team India, who played 11 five-day games in 2017, ended the year as the number one Test team in the world with seven wins, three draws and just one defeat under their belt.

Sri Lanka, who played the maximum 13 Tests in last 12 months, managed to win just four, lost seven, while two of their games ended in draws.

South Africa played 12 Tests and won seven, while Australia played 11 and won six.

A lot of records were broken and many were created as 2017 witnessed numerous memorable performances in whites.

Now, let's have a look at the five galactic efforts that made the world stand up and take notice.

#5 Cheteshwar Pujara (202 vs Australia, Ranchi)

The Border-Gavaskar Trophy, a four-match Test series played between India and Australia earlier this year, was one of the most intense in recent memory.

After two hot-blooded encounters, the series was level at 1-1 and the action moved to Ranchi for the third match.

The visitors won the toss and opted to bat. Riding on an unbeaten 178 from skipper Steven Smith and 104 from Glenn Maxwell, Australia scored 451 in the first innings.

The hosts needed a similar kind of effort from their batsmen to tame the opposition and that is when Cheteshwar Pujara turned the screws with the bat.

Pujara frustrated the touring party with a well-executed 202 and became the first Indian batsman to face 500 deliveries in a Test inning, spending more than 11 hours at the crease for his marathon effort.

Pujara, who faced 525 balls in Ranchi, brought up his second double ton and 11th of his Test career to lead the hosts to a mammoth 603/9 before declaring the innings.

The match ended in a draw but India eventually claimed the series 2-1 by winning the final Test in Dharamshala.

#4 Steve O'Keefe (6-35, 6-35 vs India, Pune)

Before this Test against India, Steve O’Keefe had played just 4 five-day games and picked up 14 wickets at an average of 32.78 with best figures of 4/103.

Interestingly, the left-arm spinner from New South Wales, turned out to be the wrecker-in-chief as Australia ended their 13-year wait to win a Test match in India.

After a win at Nagpur in October 2004, the visitors waited for 4502 days to finally record a win on the Indian soil at Pune, on February 25, 2017.

It was Steven Smith’s first match as captain in India but it was the little known Australian spinner, who stole the show with a haul of 6-35 in both innings to give the touring party a historic win.

With his magical spells, O' Keefe caused batting collapse twice, claiming six batsmen in each Indian innings, paving way for his side's 333-run victory in the first Test.

His match figures of 12/70 are the second best for a visiting bowler in India after 13/106 by Ian Botham in Mumbai in 1980.

#3 Shakib Al Hasan (84, 5-85, 5-68 vs Australia, Dhaka)

Steven Smith & Co. toured Bangladesh for a two-match Test series in August and were stunned by the minnows in the first Test, courtesy Shakib Al Hasan.

Shakib's 10-wicket match haul helped the hosts pull off a 20-run win over Australia at Dhaka.

It was Bangladesh's first-ever Test win over the team from Down Under, as the previous two series between the two countries ended 2-0 in Australia’s favour.

The number one all-rounder in ICC Test Rankings, starred with both bat and ball as he guided his team to a historic win and achieved a lot of personal milestones as well.

With his well-crafted 84, Shakib helped his team put up 260 on the board and then took five-fors to completely dismantle Australia.

In the process, Shakib became the first Bangladesh bowler to take 10 wickets in a five-day game against Australia and the fourth bowler in history to take a five-wicket haul against all current Test playing nations.

#2 Steven Smith (239 vs England, Perth)

2017 turned out to be a golden year for Australia skipper Steven Smith as he amassed 1305 runs in 11 Tests at an average of 76.76.

The number one batsman in ICC Test Rankings, by a mile, also led his team to reclaim the iconic Ashes urn by beating England comprehensively in the first three Tests of the ongoing five-match series.

However, in the third match of the series at WACA, Smith recorded his career-best Test score of 239 as Australia posted their highest total in a home Ashes innings, declaring at 662/9.

From six innings the ongoing series, Smith has already passed 600 runs and scored three tons. Only one Australian, Sir Donald Bradman, has hit four in an Ashes series.

The 28-year-old is the third-quickest to 23 Test tons, behind Bradman and Sunil Gavaskar and he is on the verge of tying with Garry Sobers as the second-fastest player to reach 6,000 runs in the longest format of the game.

#1 Shai Hope (147 and 118* vs England, Leeds)

Shai Hope's unbelievable display against England tops the list of 2017's best Test performance as it was nothing short of miraculous.

It was the kind of game that reignites the hope for the revival of Test cricket.

The West Indies were trailing 1-0 in the three-match Test series and they needed to win the second encounter to keep their hopes alive.

The visitors needed 322 to win and against all expectations the West Indies achieved the remarkable victory on the final day with five wickets and 4.4 overs to spare.

Shai Hope became the first man to register hundreds in both innings of a first-class match at Headingley, as West Indies registered their first win in England in 17 years.

The 23-year-old, who became a symbol of hope for West Indies' cricket, was named Man of the Match after his unbeaten match-winning 118 followed a maiden Test ton of 147 in the first innings as the visitors levelled the series at 1-1.