5 Indian batsmen with most 90s in Test cricket
Scoring a hundred in Test cricket is a challenging task for any batsman. He has to adapt to the variety in bowling attacks and combine caution with aggression.
Indian batsmen over the years have bewitched cricket aficionados across the world with their resplendent deeds with the willow.
Sachin Tendulkar’s magical 114 at Perth as an 18-year-old endeared him to the Australian public, Rahul Dravid’s splendid 270 at Rawalpindi enabled India to win a Test series in Pakistan for the first time, and Virender Sehwag’s 195 at Melbourne took the Australian bowling attack by storm.
However, for all these three-figure knocks, there were many occasions when Indian batsmen came agonizingly close to a century, but fell just short.
In this article, we take a look at five Indian batsmen with the most nineties in Test cricket.
#5 Sunil Gavaskar - 5
At No. 5 comes the greatest opener produced by India in Test cricket, Sunil Gavaskar. The ‘Little Master’ was the first batsman to breach the 10000 run barrier in Tests. He retired with an astonishing tally of 34 centuries which was eventually overtaken by Sachin Tendulkar in 2005.
In the 214 Test innings that Gavaskar played for India, he scored 5 nineties.
Innings: 214 Runs: 10122 Average: 51.12 Nineties: 5
#4 Virender Sehwag - 5
Virender Sehwag will go down as the most destructive opener produced by India in Test cricket. The ‘Nawab of Najafgarh’ is the only Indian batsman to score two triple centuries in white flannels. Sehwag’s incredible hand-eye co-ordination and fearless approach made him an absolute nightmare for the bowlers.
In the 180 innings that he featured for India in Tests, he was dismissed in the nineties on 5 occasions.
Innings: 180 Runs: 8586 Average: 49.34 Nineties: 5
Also see - Live cricket score