Stories
Maiden Century to Triple Century: Only Three Players in 149 Years of Test History
- •Only three batters in Test cricket history have converted their maiden century into a triple century.
- •Sir Garry Sobers of West Indies was the first, scoring 365 runs against Pakistan in 1958.
- •Bob Simpson of Australia achieved this feat in 1964, scoring 311 runs against England in Manchester.
- •India's Karun Nair joined this elite list in 2016 with an unbeaten 303 runs against England in Chennai.
- •Karun Nair became the second Indian batter after Virender Sehwag to score a triple century in Test cricket.
Key Questions Answered
In the 149-year history of Test cricket, only three players have converted their maiden Test century into a triple century: West Indies' Sir Garry Sobers (365 not out against Pakistan in 1958), Australia's Bob Simpson (311 against England in 1964), and India's Karun Nair (303 not out against England in 2016).
During the December 16, 2016 Test match at M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, Karun Nair scored an unbeaten 303 runs, which marked his maiden Test career century. By directly converting his first hundred into a triple century, he became only the second Indian batter after Virender Sehwag to score a triple century in Test cricket.
On February 26, 1958, playing against Pakistan in Kingston, West Indian all-rounder Sir Garry Sobers converted his maiden Test century into a marathon unbeaten innings of 365 runs. Notably, this highest score for a maiden Test century remains unbeaten, and he achieved it by hitting 38 boundaries without a single six.
