Hyderabad: Indian captain Virat Kohli continued his unbelievable record-breaking spree today and surpassed the legendary Sir Donald Bradman and Rahul Dravid by becoming the first batsman to score double hundreds in four successive Test series.
Kohli’s double tons came in the series against the West Indies, New Zealand, England and now Bangladesh, which is in India for a one-off Test.
Bradman and Dravid had achieved the feat in three successive series.
Kohli hit his maiden double hundred (200) at North Sound against the West Indies in July last year followed by 211 against New Zealand at Indore in October.
This was followed by his current career-best score of 235 against England in Mumbai in December and now 204 against Bangladesh.
While statistically Kohli had broken Bradman and Dravid’s record but a cursory look at ‘The Don’s’ statistics would tell that his numbers during that 1930-31 phase was phenomenal.
In the 1930 Ashes series in England between June and August, the then 22-year-old Bradman scored 254 at Lord’s, 334 (his career best) at the Leeds (Headingley) followed by 232 at the Oval — all in a single series.
In the following series against the West Indies in January 1931, Don hit 223 at Brisbane (the series was played in Australia). The next series that he played against South Africa (again Down Under), he hit 226 at Brisbane becoming the first batsman to score a double hundred in three successive series.
For Dravid, the hat-trick of double hundreds in successive series came in the 2003-04 season.
He scored 222 against New Zealand at Ahmedabad (October 2003) followed by 233 against Australia at Adelaide (December 2003). The hat-trick was accomplished with his career-best 270 against Pakistan in the very next series.
(Agencies)
