3 Indian batters to score double hundreds in consecutive Tests ft. Yashasvi Jaiswal
Yashasvi Jaiswal's rich vein of form continued in the third Test against England at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot as the opening batter smashed a sensational unbeaten 214 to lead India to a whopping 434-run win.
So far, Jaiswal has tallied an unbelievable 545 runs in three Tests at an average of 109. The 22-year-old is comfortably the highest run-getter in the series, with Ben Duckett (288) featuring in second place on the list. Among Indians, only Shubman Gill (252) has managed more than 250 runs.
In the process, Jaiswal achieved a rare feat as he became just the third Indian batter to make double centuries in back-to-back Tests. The first instance of the same was back in 1993, and the second was in 2017.
Here are the three Indian batters to have scored double-hundreds in consecutive Tests.
#3 Yashasvi Jaiswal - 209 & 214* vs England, 2024
Yashasvi Jaiswal has played just seven Tests in his career so far, but he is already etching his name into the record books. The left-hander is only two sixes away from Virat Kohli's career tally in the format and equaled the former Indian skipper in another record - more on that later.
At the time of writing, Jaiswal converts 75 percent of his fifties into three-figure scores in first-class cricket, so his appetite for big runs is obvious. He wasn't satisfied with his 80 in the first Test and made a superb 209 in the first innings in Visakhapatnam to help India restore parity in the series.
Jaiswal then went from strength to strength in Rajkot as he overcame a first-innings failure to make 214* while battling a back spasm. He struck a record-equaling 12 sixes in his whirlwind knock, which handed the hosts the upper hand in the contest.
Interestingly, Jaiswal didn't win the Player of the Match award in both Tests.
#2 Vinod Kambli - 224 vs England & 227 vs Zimbabwe, 1993
Vinod Kambli's Test career faded away after a bright start, and he ended up playing just 17 red-ball matches for India. However, soon after making his debut in January 1993, he established himself as a serious talent who seemed destined for great things.
In his fourth Test innings, against England at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, the classy left-hander made his maiden century in the format and converted it into a memorable double ton. He followed it up with another double-century in his next innings a few weeks later, this time against Zimbabwe in Delhi.
Kambli's good form continued in upcoming assignments against Sri Lanka as he notched up two more centuries, but his decline started in March 1994. He went without a half-century in his next 10 Test innings, including three ducks, and played his last Test in November 1995.
#1 Virat Kohli - 213 & 225* vs Sri Lanka, 2017
For most of the 2010s, Virat Kohli was on absolute fire in Test cricket. In 2017, the superstar batter's form hit a new peak against one of his favorite oppositions, Sri Lanka.
Kohli bagged a duck to kick off a three-match home assignment against the Lankans, but he didn't look back from there. He made a superb century in the second innings of the first Test in Kolkata before taking things up a notch in the remaining two games.
Kohli made a superb 213 in Nagpur before following it up with a splendid 243 in Delhi. He even made another half-century in the second innings of the Delhi Test as the game ended in a draw.
Kohli averaged an incredible 75.64 in Tests in 2017, with five 100-plus scores to his name. It was a peak that may never be replicated by the great man.