There is no doubt that Test cricket is the ultimate format of the game, and it literally tests every player. The longer format tests everyone’s skills and determination to dominate against the best of the best opponents.
And being a captain in the Test format is not everyone’s cup of tea. Apart from a captain’s decision-making abilities, their performance on the field is also crucial for their team.
Some captains have embraced this dual challenge and shown their mettle with the bat. In this article, let’s take a look at the top 10 highest individual scores smashed by captains in Tests.
Highest Individual Score by a Captain in Test
| Player | Score (Balls) | Against | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brian Lara (WI) | 400* (582) | England | St John’s | 10 Apr 2004 |
| Mahela Jayawardene (SL) | 374 (572) | South Africa | Colombo (SSC) | 27 Jul 2006 |
| Mark Taylor (AUS) | 334* (564) | Pakistan | Peshawar | 15 Oct 1998 |
| Graham Gooch (ENG) | 333 (485) | India | Lord’s | 26 Jul 1990 |
| Michael Clarke (AUS) | 329* (468) | India | Sydney | 03 Jan 2012 |
| Younis Khan (PAK) | 313 (568) | Sri Lanka | Karachi | 21 Feb 2009 |
| Bob Simpson (AUS) | 311 (743) | England | Manchester | 23 Jul 1964 |
| Brendon McCullum (NZ) | 302 (559) | India | Wellington | 14 Feb 2014 |
| Martin Crowe (NZ) | 299 (523) | Sri Lanka | Wellington | 31 Jan 1991 |
| Peter May (ENG) | 285* (NA) | West Indies | Birmingham | 30 May 1957 |
Key Insights
400: Brian Lara is the undisputed record holder of the highest individual score by a captain in the Test format. Lara’s humongous score of an unbeaten 400 is also the highest score by any player in the red-ball format.
778: Lara, while scoring his 400 runs, batted for almost 778 minutes (approx. 13 hours), which is the second-most by a skipper. The top spot for batting the longest in terms of minutes among skippers goes to England’s former captain, Alastair Cook. He batted for 836 minutes while scoring 263 runs against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi in 2015.
300: Australia’s Bob Simpson became the first captain to score a triple century in Tests. He achieved this incredible feat in the 1964 Ashes Test against England, scoring 311 runs.
7: India batting stalwart and former skipper, Virat Kohli, smashed the most double centuries among the captains in Test cricket. Kohli boasts an impressive 7 double hundreds, followed by 5 double tons from Brian Lara.
85: There are more than 85 instances of a captain scoring a double century in the longer format of the game.
