From Brian Lara's 400 Test runs in an innings to Muttiah Muralitharan'800 Test wickets, here's a look at few Test records that may never be broken.
Test cricket is the oldest and the toughest format of the game as it demands a lot of qualities from a player like commitment, endurance, patience, physical and mental fitness, consistency, and a hunger to excel. Only a few players who have ticked all these boxes have gone on to achieve success in this format.
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Another interesting thing is that some of the renowned greats of the game have set high standards by making such individual records that it could be impossible for any player to shatter them. Here’s a look at a few of them.
1. Ricky Ponting’s 108 Test wins as a player
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Ricky Ponting needs no introduction. He has taken Australian cricket to unattained heights as captain by leading them to some famous global triumphs like the 2003 and 2007 World Cup victories.
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Nonetheless, as far as his individual excellence in Test cricket is concerned, the former Aussie skipper has won as many as 108 matches as a player, which is impossible to be broken that easily as winning over 100 Test matches as an individual demand the next level of greatness.
2. Muttah Muralitharan's 800 Test wickets
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Sri Lankan spin legend Muttiah Muralitharan is one of the finest spinners to have played the game. He is also one of the most successful bowlers to have registered over 1000 international scalps. However, it is his overall Test tally of 800 wickets that might never be broken.
As of now, only veteran pacer James Anderson is making some advancements in this tally, having registered over 650 scalps to his name. However, it is highly unlikely that even he would be able to go past the 800-mark and the journey is still far for the aging English pacer.
3. Virat Kohli’s seven double centuries as Test skipper
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Virat Kohli might have witnessed a slump in batting form, but there used to be a time when he scored runs and centuries for fun on a consistent basis, especially between 2016-2019. Kohli holds a unique record as captain in the longest format of the game.
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As India’s full-time Test skipper, Kohli went on to register a record seven double centuries between July 2016 to October 2019.
His Test double-centuries came against the West Indies 200 (2016), New Zealand 211 (2016), England 235 (2016), Bangladesh 204 (2017), Sri Lanka 213 and 243 (2017), and South Africa (254*).
4. Mark Boucher’s 555 dismissals
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Mark Boucher is one of the finest wicketkeepers to have played the sport and successfully went on to register his name in cricketing history with his exceptional performances behind the stumps in his Test career that spanned from 1997 to 2012.
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The current South Africa head coach has a record 555 dismissals in the longest format of the game, which is a far-fetched dream for any active or future stumpers. Meanwhile, Boucher has 999 dismissals across all the formats, another tally that could remain undisputed.
5. Brian Lara's 400 runs in one innings
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Brian Lara was arguably the best Test batter in the 90s and for some part of the 2000s. He has shattered his world record in Test cricket twice in a span of 1o year. Lara scored a record 375 against England in 1994, which was surpassed by Matthew Hayden who scored 380 against Zimbabwe in 2003.
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A few months later, the ‘Prince of Trinidad’ went on to score an unbeaten 400 against England in Antigua in April 2004.
