Scoring a century is a delight for a batter. And converting it into a double hundred makes it double delight.
Many Indian batters have smashed double centuries in Test cricket. But how many of them did so while being India’s skipper?
Let’s find out the answer here. Below are the Indian captains who have scored double centuries in Test cricket.
1. Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi
India had 13 Test captains before Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi took up the mantle. Two years into his captaincy, Pataudi did what his predecessors couldn’t do.
He scored the first-ever double century by an Indian captain in Test cricket. The right-hander aggregated an unbeaten 203 against England in the 1964 Delhi Test.
His composed knock consisted of 23 fours and 2 sixes. This was Pataudi’s lone double ton in the longest format.
2. Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Gavaskar followed in with his only Test double hundred as the Indian captain in 1978. He led the team against the West Indies at Wankhede.
And Gavaskar stayed true to his role. He led from the front when other batters had a hard time against the Windies bowlers.
The Mumbai batter single-handedly carried India’s lineup on his shoulder. He amassed 205 runs with the help of 29 fours and 2 maximums.
3. Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Tendulkar scored six Test double centuries in his career. And the first of his six came as India’s skipper in Ahmedabad.
While Tendulkar had five hundreds as captain, he converted his sixth into a big one. India were already one up in the three-match series against New Zealand in late 1999.
And then Tendulkar’s double assault made their position even stronger. He scored 217 after walking in at 102 for 2.
Tendulkar’s knock helped India declare on 583. Although the match ended in a draw, his innings gave India a slight edge.
Also Read | 5 Unbreakable Cricket Records Set by Sachin Tendulkar
4. MS Dhoni
In early 2013, MS Dhoni bettered his predecessor’s tally. He was in sublime touch against Australia in the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT).
India were in a good position at 196 for 4 when MSD came to bat. And his captain’s knock further solidified India’s stance.
The keeper-captain accumulated 224 runs with the help of 24 fours and 6 sixes. This still remains the highest score by a keeper-captain in Tests.
5. Virat Kohli
Can you guess how many Test double centuries Virat Kohli scored? Not one, not two, but a total of seven. And all of them came while he was at the helm of the Indian team.
The first of them – a perfect 200 – came against the West Indies in 2016. Kohli added two more double tons that year – 211 vs New Zealand and 235 vs England.
He repeated the same the next year. In early 2017, he scored 204 against Bangladesh before closing out the year with two double hundreds – 213 and 243 – against Sri Lanka.
Two years later, Kohli brought up his highest Test score. He crossed the 250-barrier against South Africa to hand India a big win.
6. Shubman Gill
Shubman Gill is the newest entrant. Unlike the others on this list, Gill seized the moment in his second Test as India’s skipper.
He started his captaincy with a 147-run knock in the first Test. And he went a notch higher in the second match.
Gill was in full control on an excellent wicket in Birmingham. He aggregated a 269-run knock, the highest for an Indian Test captain. Gill peppered his knock with 30 fours and 3 sixes.
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