Test cricket isn’t synonymous with quick run scoring. Batters tend to play with caution, putting a price on their wicket.
But there have been instances when batters went on a rampage, going past major milestones in fewer balls. Some of these batters brought up triple hundreds in record balls, showcasing their fearless batting approach.
Here we’ll look at the 5 fastest triple centuries scored in Test cricket.
5. Karun Nair (India): 381 balls vs England, 2016
Karun Nair may not have had a remarkable Test career, but he recorded the fifth-fastest triple century in the format.
In December 2016, India played against England in the fifth Test in Chennai. England posted 477 runs in the first innings, and in response, India amassed 759/7d — their highest-ever Test total.
Nair was the destroyer in chief, scoring an unbeaten 303-run knock. He came to bat at No. 5, with India in a good position at 211 for 3.
Nair stitched a 161-run stand with KL Rahul, followed by valuable partnerships with the lower-order batters. He crossed the 300-run mark in 381 balls with a crackling four to become only the second Indian to score a Test triple century.
4. Virender Sehwag (India): 364 balls vs Pakistan, 2004
Virender Sehwag smashed not 1 but 2 triple centuries in Tests, and this was his first one, that too against Pakistan in Multan. And his knock of 309 runs earned him the tag of ‘Multan ka Sultan’.
On a flat wicket, India decided to bat first, and Sehwag proved his captain’s decision right. He put on a 160-run opening stand with Aakash Chopra and a mighty 336-run third wicket partnership with Sachin Tendulkar.
Sehwag completed his triple hundred in his usual style in 364 balls, smashing a six to Saqlain Mushtaq. He fell on the score of 309 but not before hammering 39 fours and 6 sixes.
His rampage helped India declare on 675, which they defended by an innings and 52 runs.
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3. Matthew Hayden (Australia): 362 balls vs Zimbabwe, 2003
Before Sehwag’s knock, Matthew Hayden blew away Zimbabwe’s bowling attack on a bouncy Perth wicket in 2003. The left-hander piled on 380 runs, which was then the highest individual score in the format.
Hayden was cautious until he reached his hundred. But then he pushed his scoring rate and smashed the next 200 runs in 153 balls.
Hayden raised his triple hundred in 362 balls. He was looking to breach the 400 mark but fell on 380, which included 38 fours and 11 maximums.
2. Harry Brook (England): 310 balls vs Pakistan, 2024
Multan witnessed yet another rapid knock after almost 2 decades. This time an Englishman left Pakistani bowlers helpless.
On a flatter surface, Pakistan accumulated 556 runs in the first innings. In reply, England bashed them in their Bazball way, with Brook leading the charge.
England were in a steady position on 249 for 3 when Brook walked in with a set Joe Root on one end. Brook joined forces with Root and built a 454-run partnership.
He was the enforcer among the 2, finding the boundary ropes at regular intervals. Brook raced away to his triple in 310 balls, making it the second-fastest in Test history.
1. Virender Sehwag (India): 278 balls vs South Africa, 2008
Virender Sehwag marks his presence one more time with the fastest triple century in Test cricket. After his first triple ton in 2004, he brought up his second in rather quick fashion at a strike rate of 104.93.
This time, South Africa faced Sehwag’s wrath in Chennai. Sehwag got off the mark in style, smashing a four and a six to Makhaya Ntini.
He stuck to his attacking batting approach throughout his knock. He forged a 213-run opening stand with Wasim Jaffer and a 268-run second-wicket partnership with Rahul Dravid on his way to the landmark.
Sehwag completed his triple century in just 278 balls, rewriting record books in a dashing way. He eventually fell on 319 runs, which included 42 fours and 5 sixes.
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