New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor reached 7000 runs in test cricket amazon quiz during the second Test against England at Seddon Park which ended in a draw. He completed the milestone in 126 innings which was faster than Wally Hammond and nine innings quicker than Gary Sobers.
He becomes the eighth Indian to achieve this feat. He is joined by Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sunil Gavaskar, VVS Laxman, Virender Sehwag and Sourav Ganguly.
1. Steve Smith
Steve Smith is considered to be one of the best batsmen of contemporary test cricket. He is not just a prolific run scorer but he also has the skills to captain his side in tough situations. He was able to make crucial decisions that helped Australia avoid a 3-0 whitewash against Pakistan at home. He is also known for his excellent bowling performances.
He has been the fastest to reach 7000 runs in Test cricket. He reached the milestone in just 126 innings, breaking Wally Hammond’s record of 131. He is followed by Virender Sehwag who took 134 innings to achieve the feat and then Sachin Tendulkar who scored it in 136 innings. Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli and Sourav Ganguly complete the list of Indian batsmen who have achieved this feat.
The reason why he is so good at test cricket is that he always looks at the ball as though it betrayed him, like a rider looking down at a backfiring motorbike or an ill-tempered horse. This keeps his mind sharp and helps him to play incoming deliveries with ease. He never commits himself on the front foot and this allows him to play a variety of shots against fast bowlers.
He has made it a habit of scoring double-hundreds in Test matches. This is the most by any Indian batsman and he ranks fourth overall in this category after Sir Don Bradman, Kumar Sangakkara and Brain Lara. Kohli has racked up seven double-hundreds in just 40 Tests and is averaging over 67 in this format. He is on course to overtake Bradman as the highest run scorer in test cricket history. He has a good chance of doing so in the ongoing second Test match against Bangladesh at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka.
2. Wally Hammond
Wally Hammond was a most exciting cricketer, perhaps the more so for the hint of an Olympian aloofness he possessed. He was also – and the two do not always go together – a naturally-gifted athlete. He moved with an ease that implied he might launch himself into a tiger leap at any moment.
He was not, however, the fastest to reach 7,000 Test runs. That honour went to WG Grace, Jack Hobbs, Wally Hammond and Don Bradman, the quartet of players who are considered by Wisden’s Almanack to be the finest batsmen the game has ever known.
The enigmatic Hammond, who was born in Gloucestershire, smashed 167 Test centuries in a career that lasted from 1920 to 1951. He was one of the greatest middle-order batsmen of all time. He was a peerless stroke-maker through the off-side and – according to Wisden – “a man of grandeur”. The swagger and the technique he displayed at the crease were almost overwhelming. He was a master of the art of scoring freely against fast bowling and, indeed, was at his best when the opposition was weakest. He scored 1710 runs with seven hundreds in 11 Tests in the year 1932-33; no other batsman in the history of the game had done so in a calendar year.
3. Virender Sehwag
The first Indian to reach 7000 runs in Test cricket, Sehwag was a hard hitting opening batsman. He scored 23 centuries and 15 one day internationals for India. He was also a brilliant player of spin bowling. His batting average was 63. He is known as the “The Sehwag of Cricket.” His first double hundred came in the Samsung Cup match against South Africa in Multan in 2004.
To calculate a batsman’s average, we divide the total number of runs he has scored by the number of times he has come out to bat. Taking not outs into consideration will improve the batsman’s average by reducing the number of times he gets out.
Kohli became the fourth fastest to reach 7000 runs in Test cricket, behind Wally Hammond, Virender Sehwag and Kumar Sangakkara. He has also made seven double hundreds as India captain, which is the most by any Indian batsman. Only Don Bradman, Gary Sobers and Mahela Jayawardene have made more. He has also crossed 150-run mark nine times, which is the most by an Indian batsman. This is his highest score in a Test innings. He made 243 against Sri Lanka in 2022. It was a Draw match.
4. Cheteshwar Pujara
Cheteshwar Pujara has been compared to Rahul Dravid for his dogged resistance against seam bowling. The Saurashtra batsman has been a run-machine through all grades of Indian cricket and starred in the 2006 Under-19 World Cup as India’s top run-scorer. Pujara was a regular in the Ranji Trophy squad but had to work harder than his contemporaries to be taken seriously at higher levels. He has opted to forgo the short-lived fame and quick riches of franchise league cricket, preferring to focus on a ‘cricket body’ rather than a beach body.
Pujara earned his inevitable national call-up in the 2010/11 Test series against South Africa. Having already impressed against the green ball with an excellent first-class season, he stood out on the tour with his dogged resistance in South African conditions. Having made a fluent 206 in the Test at Sardar Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad and a solid 135 in the succeeding Durban Test, Pujara proved that his domestic success was no fluke and that he was a serious player for the longer format.
He was soon handed a Test debut in the home series against Australia. After a successful start, Pujara was touted as a batting genius capable of replacing the great Rahul Dravid. He was a key member of the India A team which toured England in 2010, and scored a double hundred on his tour debut, steering the side to victory.
Pujara’s batting is a throwback to eras gone by, both in technique and temperament. He steps down to spinners and keeps the ball along the carpet, and he takes pleasure in grinding down attacks rather than launching them. He is a rare breed of defensive batsman in an age where counterattacking is the norm.
5. Virat Kohli
If you’re a cricket fan, then you must have heard about the Indian batsman Virat Kohli. He is one of the best batsmen in the world. He has scored a lot of runs in his career and has broken many records. He recently became the fastest batsman to reach 7000 ODI runs. He reached the milestone in just 169 innings. He broke the record held by South Africa’s Hashim Amla.
He has scored over 71 ODI centuries so far and is only 34 years old. He is still in his prime and has a good chance of breaking Sachin’s record. However, there are several factors that need to be taken into consideration. First, he needs to have a long career in order to break the record. He must be consistent for 15-20 years in order to surpass the mark. Second, he needs to have an excellent batting technique. He must be able to build an innings and hit big shots in the later stages of his innings.
Lastly, he must be able to score against different teams. Kohli has scored double-centuries against six different teams, including Bangladesh, England, New Zealand, South Africa, and Sri Lanka. Only two other batsmen have done this, including Wally Hammond and Virender Sehwag. If Kohli can continue his superb batting form, he may be able to break Sachin’s record soon.
However, it is unlikely that he will beat the legendary batsman’s 100 century record. It is because cricket has changed drastically since the time when Sachin was playing. The number of tests is low and the craze for T20 is high. It will be difficult for Kohli to adjust his game in such a situation.
