ENG vs IND 2025: 3 Indian batters to score 700+ runs in a Test series

Prominent bilateral Test series have had a history of being a five-match affair. As a batter, maintaining consistency throughout the series is not an easy task at all. A lot is tested other than players' skill level, with temperament and mental fortitude coming into the picture too. Maintaining one's fitness also plays a big role.

Sustaining batting form demands considerable effort too. This is because of varying venues which also present different pitches and conditions along the way. In Indian cricket, only three players have managed to breach the 700-run mark in a single Test series. This alone underscores how rare the feat is to accomplish for even the most prolific of batters.

Indian batters who scored 700 or more runs in a Test series

3a. Sunil Gavaskar - 774 runs in 8 innings vs West Indies (1971)

The 1971 tour of West Indies was Sunil Gavaskar's debut assignment in international cricket. He struck a couple of half-centuries (65 and 67*) in his debut Test at Queen's Park Oval after not being tried out in the series-opening game. His maiden ton (116) came in India's first innings of the third match at Bourda, which was followed up by an unbeaten 64-run knock in the second inninfs.

His first single-digit score came in the fourth contest at Kensington Oval, however, Gavaskar did not allow the setback to dent his confidence and responded with an unbeaten 117 in the second innings. The final match of the series was the most rewarding for the youngster, as he smacked 124 and 220, respectively, at Queen's Park Oval.

3b. Sunil Gavaskar -  732 runs in 9 innings vs West Indies (1978/79)

Gavaskar's second double ton in Test cricket came against West Indies again, but this time at home. The 342-ball 205 came at his home ground, the Wankhede Stadium in the very first innings of the series. He scored 73 in the second innings.

India batted only once in the second match. The game in Bengaluru (then Bangalore) was only the second time Gavaskar had been dismissed for a golden duck. The following game at Eden Gardens was another instance when Gavaskar stroked a ton in both innings (107 and 182*). The sole Test which India won in the six-match series (fourth one in Chennai) saw Gavaskar record single-digit scores in both innings. India batted only once in the fifth and sixth Tests, respectively, with Gavaskar wrapping up the series with scores of 120 and 40.