Cricket in Numbers: Top 5 Players with the Most Runs Scored in a Single Test Match
Test cricket is known as a format where the bowlers mostly hold the upper hand. But sometimes, a batsman is able to handle all of the team's pressure on his own, rapidly scoring runs in the game.
While a few players couldn’t even score 400 runs in their international Test career, there have been a few of them who managed to score more than 400 runs in a single Test match. Recently, Shubman Gill, India’s new Test skipper, has made his name to the list, as he smashed the English bowlers in the 2nd Test. Let’s take a look at the list of players with the most runs in a single Test match.
Graham Gooch
The former English batsman, Graham Gooch, holds the top spot in the Elite list of most runs in a single Test match. During the first Test of the India tour of England 1990, Gooch unleashed his inner beast to dominate over the Indian bowlers in this match. India started off the game by winning the toss, and they decided to field first.
| India vs England, 1st Test, Lord’s | |
|---|---|
| 1st Inning | |
| England: 653/4d (162 Overs) | India: 454 (114.1 Overs) |
| Graham Gooch: 333 (485) | Mohammad Azharuddin: 121 (111) |
| Narendra Hirwani: 1/102 | Angus Fraser: 5/104 |
| 2nd Inning | |
| England: 272/4d (54.2 Overs) | India: 224 (62 Overs) |
| Graham Gooch: 123 (113) | Sanjeev Sharma: 38 (26) |
| Sanjeev Sharma: 2/75 | Angus Fraser: 3/39 |
| England Won by 247 Runs | |
But this decision was regretted soon by the team’s management and even the captain, and it was all possible due to Graham Gooch. The English skipper came to open the innings and he remained till the end, after England declared their innings at the score of 653 runs for the loss of just 4 wickets.
Graham Gooch dominated almost every Indian bowler in this inning, as he scored 333 runs in 485 balls with 43 fours and 3 sixes. After this mammoth score, the English bowlers were able to restrict India to just 454 runs, giving their batsmen another chance to set up a big total for India.
Once again for England, their captain led them from the front, as he scored 123 runs off 113 balls in the second innings, which included 13 fours and 4 sixes. With this, he had already scored 456 runs combined in this Test match, which was even more than the total of India in its first innings.
Later, the England bowlers were able to finish the match with ease, bowling India all out for a total of 224 runs. England had easily won this match, and Graham Gooch received the Player of the Match award for his extraordinary and record-setting play with the bat in both innings.
Shubman Gill
India’s newly appointed Test skipper, Shubman Gill, also got his name etched in the history books in his second match as the team’s captain. This match was being played at Edgbaston, and Ben Stokes decided that it would be better for England to field first.
| India vs England, 2nd Test, Edgbaston | |
|---|---|
| 1st Inning | |
| India: 587 (151 Overs) | England: 407 (89.3 Overs) |
| Shubman Gill: 269 (387) | Jamie Smith: 184* (207) |
| Shoaib Bashir: 3/167 | Mohammed Siraj: 6/70 |
| 2nd Inning | |
| India: 427/6d (83 Overs) | England: 271 (68.1 Overs) |
| Shubman Gill: 161 (162) | Jamie Smith: 88 (99) |
| Shoaib Bashir: 2/119 | Akash Deep: 6/99 |
| India Won by 336 Runs | |
India absolutely dominated in this match, as the team scored 587 runs in the first innings, before being all out. Shubman Gill was the team’s highest scorer in this innings, where he scored 269 runs off 387 balls with 30 fours and 3 sixes. Besides him, no other player was able to reach the 100-run mark.
The English batsmen struggled to score well, as they got all out at the score of just 407, giving a massive 180-run lead to India as they headed to the third innings. This time again, Captain Gill led from the front, as he scored 161 runs in 162 balls with 13 fours and 8 sixes. Such an innings from Gill showcased his dominance as a captain.
India went on to give a target of 608 runs to England, as the home team failed to chase it and got all out for just 271 runs. Surely India registered their biggest win against England, their captain, Shubman Gill, ended up as the Player of the Match, as he scored 430 runs in the game.
Mark Taylor
Former Australian player Mark Taylor stands at number 3 in the list of most runs scored by a player in a Test match. During the Australia tour of Pakistan 1998, he led his team from the front, dominating the Pakistani bowlers with his bat. The second Test was being played at Peshawar, as Australia decided to bat first.
| Australia vs Pakistan, 2nd Test, Peshawar | |
|---|---|
| 1st Inning | |
| Australia: 599/4d (174 Overs) | Pakistan: 580/9d (172.1 Overs) |
| Mark Taylor: 334* (564) | Ijaz Ahmed: 155 (282) |
| Shoaib Akhtar: 2/107 | Glenn McGrath: 3/131 |
| 2nd Inning | |
| Australia: 289/5 (88 Overs) | |
| Mark Taylor: 92 (159) | |
| Mushtaq Ahmed: 2/59 | |
| Match Drawn | |
The captain, Mark Taylor, came to open the innings and he stayed till the end, before declaring on 599 runs for the loss of 4 wickets. He came out as the most dominant batsman in this innings, scoring 334 runs in 564 balls, with 32 fours and one six. None of the Pakistani bowlers had a response to his innings.
However, considering the pitch conditions at Peshawar, Pakistan batsmen were also able to score well at this ground. They finished at a total of 580 runs for the loss of 9 wickets, before the team decided to declare. Now it was once again time for Mark Taylor to dominate over Pakistani bowlers, as Australia came to bat in the third innings.
This time, the team scored 289 runs for the loss of 5 wickets, before the match ended in a draw. Their skipper, Mark Taylor, ended up scoring 92 runs in this innings, which helped him to score a total of 426 runs in the match and also be awarded as the Player of the Match.
Kumar Sangakkara
The legendary Sri Lankan wicket-keeper, Kumar Sangakkara, stands at the fourth spot when it comes to the players with the most runs in a Test match. He showcased his best in the 2014 Sri Lanka tour of Bangladesh, during the 2nd Test, which was being played at Chattogram. Winning the toss, Sri Lanka took the decision to bat first at this ground.
| Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh, 2nd Test, Chattogram | |
|---|---|
| 1st Inning | |
| Sri Lanka: 587 (156.4 Overs) | Bangladesh: 426 (119.5 Overs) |
| Kumar Sangakkara: 319 (482) | Imrul Kayes: 115 (218) |
| Shakib Al Hasan: 5/148 | Ajantha Mendis: 6/99 |
| 2nd Inning | |
| Sri Lanka: 305/4d (75.5 Overs) | Bangladesh: 271/3 (84.4 Overs) |
| Kumar Sangakkara: 105 (144) | Mominul Haque: 100* (167) |
| Mahmudullah: 2/46 | Dilruwan Perera: 2/55 |
| Match Drawn | |
And that’s when the onslaught of Sangakkara started, as he was unstoppable by any Bangladeshi bowler. He ended up scoring 319 runs off 482 balls with 32 fours and 8 sixes, which helped Sri Lanka to finish their innings at a massive total of 587.
The bowlers were able to do their job well, as they restricted Bangladesh to the score of 426, and now it was time for Sri Lanka to set a target. Once again, Sangakkara ended as the top scorer with 105 runs off 144 balls with 11 fours and 2 sixes, as Sri Lanka declared on 305.
Bangladesh had the massive target of 467 ahead of them, as their batsmen tried their best to reach the score. But the match resulted in a draw, as Bangladesh was only able to score 271 for the loss of 3 wickets. Kumar Sangakkara received the Player of the Match award for this game, as he scored 424 runs combined in both innings.
Brian Lara
One of the finest Test batsmen of all time, Brian Lara, stands at the 5th spot when it comes to the most runs scored by a batsman in a single Test match. It happened during the 4th Test of the England tour of the West Indies in 2004, and at this time, the West Indies were known for their dominance.
| West Indies vs England, 4th Test, St. John’s | |
|---|---|
| 1st Inning | |
| West Indies: 751/5d (202 Overs) | England: 285 (99 Overs) |
| Brian Lara: 400* (582) | Andrew Flintoff: 102* (224) |
| Gareth Batty: 2/185 | Pedro Collins: 4/76 |
| 2nd Inning | |
| England: 422/5 (137 Overs) | |
| Michael Vaughan: 140 (267) | |
| Ramnaresh Sarwan: 2/26 | |
| Match Drawn | |
West Indies had won the toss in this match, as they decided to bat first at the home conditions. The team ended up scoring 751 runs for the loss of 5 wickets before the skipper Lara decided to declare. Brian Lara alone scored 400 runs in 582 balls with 43 fours and 4 sixes, thrashing the plans of the English bowling line-up to take his wicket.
England came to bat in the second innings of the game but were not able to tackle the West Indies bowling line-up. The team was bowled out for just 285, due to which they were sent to bat once again in the form of a follow-on. The English batsmen had regained their form this time, but it was already too late.
The team ended up scoring 422 runs for the loss of 5 wickets, before the match ended as a draw. Brian Lara scored 400 runs in the match and also in an innings, which helped him to receive the Player of the Match award.
Comments