5 batsmen who scored most Test runs before their first double century

Gundappa Viswanath

Vishy essaying his trademark square cut

Matches: 79, Innings: 138, Runs: 5450, Average: 42.24, 100s: 13, Highest: 179

The inspiration for many Indian batsmen of the 80s, Gundappa Viswanath was the supreme batting artist and although his record may not state it, he was every bit as crucial to India's fortunes as Sunil Gavaskar.

While a fascinating fact about his 14 Test hundreds is that none of them came in a losing cause (remarkable, given India's overall poor record during his time), an equally intriguing fact is that his first Test double century (222 off 374 balls) was his last century (14th). The timing of that innings though may have been unremarkable - it came in one of the most tepid Test rubbers of all time.

In the 5th game of the 6-match series vs England in 1981/82, India opted to bat first on a placid Chennai surface and amassed 481 in an astounding 152 overs. England replied in earnest and batted the same number of overs, scoring 153 fewer runs, with Chris Tavare scoring 35 runs in 4 long hours.

An utterly forgettable Test match, with an unforgettable Vishy masterclass.