In a previous article we wrote about the best performances by an Indian bowler in England in test cricket and I loved writing that and telling our readers about the different incredible performances by batters in England. Scoring runs in England is not easy as the Dukes ball swings for the entire test match and there is uneven bounce as well so all these batters deserve all the love from the fans. Even in this test match that is going on there is 1 Indian batter that has put in a performance that is worthy of this list.
Since 1971 when India started winning the test series in England, we will talk about the Top 5 Best Performances by Indian batters in that nation and the impact of those performances will also be looked into before deciding which innings to put in this list. So, let’s see the Top 5 Best Performances by an Indian batter in England.
Sachin Tendulkar – 193 in 2002 at Leeds
This is the first batting performance that we will talk about and how fitting it is that it is Sachin Tendulkar that is starting this list and this innings of 193 came in 2002 at Leeds which was not a batting friendly wicket and for him to go on and play this knock is worthy of this place. India were batting first and he came to bat at number 4 and he played for 330 balls and he hit 19 fours and 3 sixes in that innings meaning a total of 94 runs in boundaries. He had a good strike rate of 58.48 and this innings was one of his best overseas innings ever. He just fell short of what would have been an amazing double hundred.
Sourav Ganguly – 128 in 2002 at Leeds
The next performance is also from that test match where Sourav Ganguly played an ODI like innings in a crucial test match which shifted the momentum of that test match towards India. He came to bat at number 5 and he wasted no time in getting after the bowlers and he only took 167 balls for his 128 and he hit 14 fours and 3 sixes in his innings. This innings also gave him a lot of confidence going ahead in his career. He had an amazing strike rate of 76.64 in this innings.
Ajinkya Rahane – 103 at Lord’s in 2014
On a pitch where all the other batters from both the teams found it difficult to bat it was this man and this Innings of his that was the difference between the 2 sides. Ajinkya Rahane hit one of his best ever hundreds to completely shift the momentum of the match in the favor of India. He came to bat at number 5 when India were in a spot of bother and rather than getting bogged down he played in a positive manner and In just 154 balls he hit 103 runs in which he hit 15 fours and 1 six in his innings and to have a strike rate of 66.88 in such a difficult Wicket is tremendous and a testament to his greatness. His innings won the match for India along with the amazing Fourth innings bowling by Ishant Sharma.
Virat Kohli – 97 and 103 at Nottingham in 2018
The only test match that India won in the tour of 2018 was this test match and the captain Virat Kohli was largely responsible for the win by his sheer brilliance with the bat in both the innings. These were tough conditions to bat in and in the first innings he made 97 all important runs in just 152 balls with 11 fours meaning he rotated the strike often and he still had a strike rate of over 63. Then in the third innings of the test match he hit a sublime hundred to give India the complete advantage and he took 197 balls while hitting 10 fours at a strike rate of 52.28. He has 200 runs in the match and India won that match by 203 runs in what was a famous win.
Rishabh Pant – 146 and 57 at Edgbaston in 2022
The last performance that we will talk about is what happened in this current test match where a young 23 year old man named Rishabh Pant stepped up to the party and made the match for India in both innings. In the first innings of this test match India were 98-5 and then he started attacking the Bowlers to all parts and he smashed 146 off just 111 balls with 19 fours and 4 sixes in this innings meaning a total of 100 runs in boundaries. He had an unbelievable strike rate of 131.53. In the third innings of this test match again Rishabh Pant came through for India scoring a vital 57 runs in 86 balls with 8 fours in the innings which meant he scored a total of 203 runs in this test match. It made him the first Indian wicket keeper to hit 200+ runs in an overseas test and it also made him the first Indian wicket keeper to hit a hundred and a 50 in the same year overseas.
