A select few have dominated both innings of a Test match with sheer brilliance. One of India's newest captains just joined that elite club, and almost topped it.
The record for the highest total runs by a batter in a single Test match still belongs to England's Graham Gooch. In the Lord’s Test of July 1990, Gooch was unstoppable. After being invited to bat first, he led the charge with a colossal 333 from 485 deliveries. His innings were filled with control, occupying the crease for over 10 hours and hammering 43 fours and three sixes.
Not done yet, Gooch came back in the second innings and cracked 123 off just 113 balls, taking his match total to an unmatched 456. England went on to crush India by 247 runs, with Gooch rightfully named the undisputed man of the match.
Shubman Gill entered elite territory with a dream performance against England in Birmingham. In the first innings, he built a marathon knock of 269, showing his growing maturity and dominance as India’s new captain. He played 387 balls, staying at the crease for over 500 minutes and striking 30 boundaries alongside three maximums.
India then declared their second innings at 427/6, with Gill again leading the scoreboard. This time, he scored a blistering 161 off just 162 balls, hitting 13 fours and eight sixes. His two-innings total of 430 puts him just behind Gooch, but firmly among the greatest match performances in Test history.
Sydney Morning Herald. "/> Mark Taylor showed incredible restraint and class in the 1998 Peshawar Test. After batting through for an unbeaten 334 in the first innings, equaling Sir Don Bradman's highest test score, he chose to declare rather than overtake the legend. Taylor's 334 came off 564 balls, with 32 boundaries and a single six.
In the second innings, he added another 92 runs, missing out on a second century but pushing his total to 426 for the match. Australia’s decision to play out a draw meant Taylor’s innings remained a shining example of personal glory and sportsmanship combined.
Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara had a field day against Bangladesh in Chattogram. His elegant 319 in the first innings came off 482 balls and featured 32 fours and eight sixes. The stylish left-hander was in complete control as Sri Lanka piled on a mountain of runs.
Even in the second innings, with little time left in the match, Sangakkara remained sharp by notching 105 runs off 144 deliveries. Despite his 424-run total, the game ended in a draw, but Sangakkara's masterclass with the bat made it one of the most memorable individual performances in recent Test history.
Brian Lara famously reclaimed the world record for the highest individual score in a Test match with his 400* against England in Antigua. Having lost the record to Matthew Hayden just months earlier, Lara bounced back in style, scoring the mammoth knock off 582 balls with 43 boundaries and four sixes.
The West Indies skipper didn’t need to bat again in the match, finishing with 400 not out across the only innings he played. It was his way of stamping dominance, not just over England, but over history itself.
