5 captains with the highest scores in Test cricket
One of the toughest roles in Test cricket is that of a leading a national side. Not only does the captain of the team need to take important decisions on the field, but the pressure is also on them to lead from the front with their own individual performances.
There have been a number of star players who have lost out on their form owing to the pressure of captaincy, but in recent times, one man who has thrived under this pressure and made a big impact since his appointment as India's captain is Virat Kohli.
On the second day of the 2nd Test match between India and South Africa at Pune, Kohli stroked his way to his seventh double century and when India declared at 601/5, the Indian captain finished on 254*, his best-ever Test score.
Interestingly, all of Kohli's 200+ scores have come after he became the Indian captain and courtesy of his 254*, the prolific right-hander slotted into the 18th position in the list of the highest scores for a captain in the longest format of the game.
On that note, here is an account of the five highest scores by a captain in Test cricket.
#5 Michael Clarke - 329* v India at Sydney, January 2012
A star-studded Indian team toured Australia to play a four-match Test series in the 2011-12 season but before the commencement of the second Test, Michael Clarke’s men already had an upper hand, with a win from the opening Test.
India won the toss in the second game and chose to bat first on a strip that looked good to put up a big score on the board. However, the Indian batsmen surrendered to the pace and bounce procured by the Australian pacers as the visitors could put up just 191 on the board in the first innings.
In reply, Australia lost their top three batsmen early in the innings and it seemed like India will be able to scalp all the wickets with ease.
But, the trio of Michael Clarke, Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey had other plans. They decimated the Indian bowling attack by adding 622 runs to the team's total. While Ponting had lost his wicket at the score of 134, Clarke and Hussey remained not out on 329 and 150, respectively.
Clarke's 468-balls knock included 39 fours and one six. Eventually, Australia won the Test match by an innings and 68 runs.
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