Top 5 Test performances in 2017
The iconic Boxing Day Ashes Test between Australia and England, that concluded on Saturday, December 30, in a draw, brought down the curtain on a fairly memorable year for the longest format of the game.
The Virat Kohli-led Team India, who played 11 five-day games in 2017, ended the year as the number one Test team in the world with seven wins, three draws and just one defeat under their belt.
Sri Lanka, who played the maximum 13 Tests in last 12 months, managed to win just four, lost seven, while two of their games ended in draws.
South Africa played 12 Tests and won seven, while Australia played 11 and won six.
A lot of records were broken and many were created as 2017 witnessed numerous memorable performances in whites.
Now, let's have a look at the five galactic efforts that made the world stand up and take notice.
#5 Cheteshwar Pujara (202 vs Australia, Ranchi)
The Border-Gavaskar Trophy, a four-match Test series played between India and Australia earlier this year, was one of the most intense in recent memory.
After two hot-blooded encounters, the series was level at 1-1 and the action moved to Ranchi for the third match.
The visitors won the toss and opted to bat. Riding on an unbeaten 178 from skipper Steven Smith and 104 from Glenn Maxwell, Australia scored 451 in the first innings.
The hosts needed a similar kind of effort from their batsmen to tame the opposition and that is when Cheteshwar Pujara turned the screws with the bat.
Pujara frustrated the touring party with a well-executed 202 and became the first Indian batsman to face 500 deliveries in a Test inning, spending more than 11 hours at the crease for his marathon effort.
Pujara, who faced 525 balls in Ranchi, brought up his second double ton and 11th of his Test career to lead the hosts to a mammoth 603/9 before declaring the innings.
The match ended in a draw but India eventually claimed the series 2-1 by winning the final Test in Dharamshala.