Mayank Agarwal on Sunday (December 5) has become just the fourth player to score two fifty-plus scores in the same Test at Wankhede. The Indian opener who scored his fourth Test hundred in the first innings followed that with another 62 runs in the second innings. 30-year-old Agarwal was dismissed trying to accelerate the attack as Ajaz Patel got him.
The Karnataka batter has now joined Chetan Chauhan, Sunil Gavaskar and Kris Srikkanth in scoring multiple fifty-plus scores in the same Test at the iconic venue. Chauhan and Gavaskar both achieved the feat in the same match in December 1978 against then world champions West Indies.
The match ended in a draw but will be remembered for a special reason as local hero Gavaskar smashed 205 in the first innings, while his partner in crime Chetan scored 52. The West Indies bowling attack consisted of the likes of Sylvester Clarke, Vanburn Holder. In the second both Gavaskar and Chetan scored 73 and 84 respectively, Gavaskar missed out on a hundred in the second innings as he was dismissed by Clarke. The match is also remembered for 187 runs scored by Alvin Kallicharran.
In 1987 against the same opposition Kris Shrikant scored 71 before he was bowled by the great Courtney Walsh in the first innings. India had a horrible collapse in the second innings as opener Shrikant and captain Dilip Vengsarkar were the only players in double figures as India were bowled out for 173. Shrikant ended with 65 before falling to Patrick Patterson.
Agarwal could have joined a special club of players had he scored a hundred in the second innings. He could have become just the eighth player to score double tons in the same match. Agarwal’s head coach Rahul Dravid achieved the feat twice.
