5 Highest Individual Test Scores for India outside Asia

In the early 1980s, BBC used to air a comedy sitcom titled "No Place Like Home". There really isn't, is there? Especially, in a sport like Cricket where conditions have a huge impact on the style of play and also the result. No wonder then that of the 41 Test double hundreds scored by Indians, 31 have come within the comforts of the subcontinent. Only 10 have come outside of Asia.

Here, we take a look at the 5 Highest Individual scores by Indians outside their home continent.

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#5 Rahul Dravid 217 v England, The Oval, 2002

India had been having a fabulous summer in England in 2002. They had famously beaten England in the Natwest Tri-Series Final at Lord's; after having lost the first Test, and drawn the second, they had registered a historic win by an innings under cloudy skies at Leeds to level the series.

In the fourth and final Test of the series, however, they were put under immense pressure by a massive 195 by the English captain Michael Vaughn, which took England to a total of 515. At 18-1, with Sehwag back in the hut, out walked Rahul Dravid- the man of the match in that win at Leeds.

Dravid picked up from where he left at Leeds, driving and cutting the Englishmen and in the process putting up 5 consecutive partnerships of 50 or more with Bangar, Tendulkar, Laxman, Ganguly, and Agarkar. By the time they had all fallen India had 465/6 on the board, and Rahul Dravid was 212 not out!

India eventually finished only 7 runs short of England's tally, and the match and the series ended in a draw, with rain washing away the final day's play.

#4 Sunil Gavaskar 220 v West Indies, Port of Spain, 1971

Sunil Gavaskar slammed a massive double-ton in his very first Test series

The Indian Cricket Team landed in the West Indies in 1971 with a record of 6 losses, 4 draws, and no wins, in their 10 Tests in the land until then. Amongst them was a 22-year-old who was yet to play a Test Match for India. This diminutive man would go on to rewrite history books from that series itself.

Having made his debut in the first Test of the series, Gavaskar ran up scores of 65, 67*, 116, 64*, 1, and 117 in the first 3 Tests as India headed into the fourth Test with a 1-0 lead. In the fourth and final Test, Gavaskar compiled his third century of the series, taking his tally to 554 runs in 7 innings in the series. However, centuries from Davis and Sobers, and a 99 from Foster gave the home team a massive first-innings lead of 166.

With more than 2 days of play left, and Test Series win on the line, Gavaskar brought out his A-game- as if his 554 runs at an average of almost 111 was not good enough! The Little Master batted close to 9 hours, bringing up his first double century, and the highest score by an Indian in the West Indies- a record that still stands today. His tally of 774 runs in the series is the most by a debutant- another record that still stands.

By the time Gavaskar and others were done, India were 261 ahead and left with 40 overs to try and bowl out the West Indies. They cam achingly close- reducing the Windies to 165/8. Though the match was drawn, India had a historic first- their first Test Series win in the land of the mighty Caribbeans!

#3 Sunil Gavaskar 221 v England, The Oval, 1979

This was the first 200 by an Indian in England

Gavaskar again. This time in England. Having lost the first Test by an innings, and drawn the next two, India headed into the fourth and final Test of the series knowing nothing less than victory would do.

The pace troika of Willis, Botham, and Hendrick earned England a first-innings lead in excess of 100, and a Boycott century in the second outing meant India were set an improbable target of 438. The highest successful chase in Test Cricket until then was 406- by India against the West Indies, three years before. The man who had laid the foundation to that win- Sunil Gavaskar, was at it again at the Oval.

Gavaskar and Chauhan skillfully negated the final session of Day 4- going to stumps without any batsman dismissed. On the final day, with 362 needed with all 10 wickets in the bag, the duo launched into the English attack. A double century partnership with Chauhan and a 150-partnership with Vengsarkar put India right on top, but with time running out, big blows were the need of the hour.

Kapil came out at number 4 but was sent packing without bothering the scorers. Gavaskar soon followed having cracked a majestic 221 and gone past Bill Edrich's mark of 219 for the highest Test score in the fourth innings of a match. As many as five batsmen sat padded up at the same time, keeping the English second guessing who would come in next. Vishwanath came out and struck some boundaries as wickets kept tumbling and the Test headed towards a climactic finish with all 4 results possible- an English win, an Indian win, a Tie, and a Draw.

But the series of wickets dented India's hopes, and with 15 needed off the last over with only two wickets in hand, India ended up 9 runs short of the target and the match ended in an exhilarating draw,

#2 Rahul Dravid 233 v Australia, Adelaide, 2003

Rahul Dravid helped India script a famous Test Match win in Australia

Having drawn the Test series in England, India came to Australia on a wave of expectations. A Ganguly century at Brisbane in the first Test meant that India held the upper hand for most of the drawn first Test. Day 1 of the next Test at Adelaide was all about the Home Team though as Australia racked up 400/5 on the first day itself, finishing with a massive 556, with Ricky Ponting contributing 242.

When India came out to bat, India's number 3 returned his Australian counterpart's favour. The ghosts of Kolkata 2001- Dravid and Laxman (148), came back to haunt Australia, reviving India from 85/4 with yet another triple hundred partnership. By the time India were done, bowled out for 523- 33 runs short of Australia, on the fourth morning, a draw seemed the most obvious result.

Ajit Agarkar's 6 wicket haul in the second innings though tore the game open, bowling out the Aussies for 196, and setting India 230 to pull a rabbit out of the hat, which they eventually did, late on the last day of the Test. And who ensured their safe passage? Rahul Dravid of course, with a patient unbeaten 72*, hitting the winning runs with a square cut boundary off Stuart McGill.

Saurav Ganguly said after the match that Dravid batted like God, and the Test is rightly remembered as "Dravid's Test".

#1 Sachin Tendulkar 241* v Australia, Sydney, 2004

The Master's Magnum Opus

Rahul Dravid's record for the highest Test Score by an Indian away from home, lasted all of 3 weeks, as Sachin Tendulkar bludgeoned the Aussie attack into submission at the SCG in the fourth and final Test of the same series.

Sachin Tendulkar had scored a Test Century on each of his previous two trips to the country down under. But in the 2003-04 series, he entered the last Test with scores of 0, 1, 37, 0, 44. Having been dismissed in the previous innings edging a delivery that he was looking to drive through the covers, Tendulkar showed great restraint, not playing even a single cover drive throughout his 436-minute marathon innings.

Playing an unusual compact inning sans any expansive drives or uppish cuts, Tendulkar broke the back of the Aussies with patience. He and Laxman (178) out on a display of elan and grace as India plundered the runs, declaring with 705 on the board.

Though the match ended in a draw, it would be long remembered for Steve Waugh's farewell and Tendulkar's Magnum Opus.