5 Test centuries scored by Indian Bowlers
The Indian tail has on occasions responded brilliantly to the team needs, here are five Test centuries which were scored by specialist Indian bowlers
In the Test match against Pakistan at Chennai in 1999, India needed 17 runs to win with three wickets in hand. All four bowlers batting from 8th to 11th position combined to add only 10 runs and India lost the match in the most excruciating way.
After a few years though we saw a remarkable change in the way our bowlers batted. They became confident in their stroke making and soon started posing challenges for the opposition bowlers. The situation has improved so much that now our 8th position batsman has four Test centuries to his name while our number nine has scored three triple tons in first-class cricket.
Before reaching this stage, there have been some excellent innings executed by specialist Indian bowlers. Here are the five Test centuries which were scored by Indian bowlers
#5 Ajit Agarkar 109* vs England, Lord’s, 2002
When the wiry and fragile Mumbai bowler burst out on the scene with his express pace and pronounced swing movement, he was the next hope of Indian Cricket. The search of a genuine fast bowler seemed to have ended with the promise of Ajit Agarkar. He staked a claim by becoming the fastest bowler to 50 ODI wickets, internationally.
Another skill at which Agarkar was considered to be good at was batting. After the embarrassing run of seven ducks against Australia, the bowler redeemed himself in the most unimaginable way. He became only the seventh Indian batsman to score a Test century at Lord’s.
In the first Test of the English tour of 2002, the home team piled up 487 runs in their first outing. The Indian team was routed for only 221 and with a quick reply from England, received a target of 568 runs. With India tottering at 170/6, an embarrassing loss was looming large.
The presence of the tail-batting specialist VVS Laxman at the other end strengthened the confidence of Ajit Agarkar, who went on to play the innings of his life. Agarkar remained undefeated till the end and essayed a glorious 109* including 16 boundaries.
India ultimately lost the match by 170 runs but it is this knock that remains etched as one of the wonders of Indian Cricket.