Indians to score a century and take a fifer in the same Test

Scoring a century and picking up a five-wicket haul in the same Test match is the stuff of dream that any all-rounder would like to achieve at some stage of his career. To smash a hundred and then help your team with a five-for is some achievement and there have been many cricketers who recorded this feat. Few Indian players also exist in this special list from the past and the present generation.

Let’s take a look at Indians who have scored a ton and picked fifer in the same Test match:

1.Vinoo Mankad

Vinoo Mankad was the first Indian to achieve this milestone. He recorded the feat against England at Lord’s in 1952. England scored 537 in reply to India’s 235 in the first innings of the second Test of the series. Mankad bowled a marathon spell of 73 overs with 24 maidens. He took 5/196 with an economy rate of 2.96. Having already scored 72 in the first innings, Mankad smashed 184 runs including 19 fours and one six in the second innings. India scored 378 runs but couldn’t manage to avoid a defeat.

2.Polly Umrigar

Ten years later in 1962, Polly Umrigar registered the same landmark against West Indies at Port of Spain. The Caribbean side scored 444/9d with Umrigar picking up five wickets for 107 runs. He bowled 56 overs with 24 maidens at an economy rate of just 1.91. Following on, Umrigar slammed an unbeaten 172 in India’s second innings. India scored 422 but West Indies won the match by seven wickets.

3.R Ashwin

R Ashwin has recorded this exceptional feat thrice so far. He picked up 5/156 in 52.1 overs in the first innings of the third match of the series against West Indies in the drawn Mumbai Test in 2011. He then scored 103 off 118 with 15 fours and two sixes in India’s first innings.

In July 2016, Ashwin smashed 113 off 253 with 12 fours against West Indies again in the first innings of the first Test in Antigua. He then terrorized the home side by taking 7/83 in 25 overs in the second innings. In 2021, Ashwin took 5/43 in 23.5 overs and scored 106 off 148 against England in the second match of the series in Chennai.

4.Ravindra Jadeja

Ravindra Jadeja slammed 175 not out off 228 with 17 fours and three sixes and took 5/41 against Sri Lanka in the first innings of the first Test in Mohali in March 2022. He also took four scalps in the second innings and won the Player of the Match award, his third successive award at the venue. Notably, in India’s last three Tests in Mohali, Jadeja has won all three prizes.