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The age-old yardstick to measure the ability of any batsman is by looking at the number of centuries he has completed in his career. The higher the number of hundred, more reliable, consistent and useful is the batsman for any team.
However, in the traditional format of the game, the most memorable, iconic innings are often bigger than a mere century.
A double hundred is one of the distinctions that all batsmen aspire to score, but only a few of them actually manage to accomplish.
Even more rare and elite are those who have double hundreds in both Tests and ODIs. The minuscule number of cricketers achieving this feat is what makes this list even more special.
These are players equally competent in battling out the long, gruelling hours of Test cricket and entertaining viewers with flawless strokeplay for long periods in the limited-over format.
Here’s are the four batsmen to have attained this milestone:
Sachin Tendulkar
On 24 February 2010, Captain Roop Singh Stadium in Gwalior witnessed an extraordinary sequence of events as Sachin Tendulkar scaled-down the Sisyphean-peak of 200-run mark against South Africa.
Sachin scored exactly 200 not-out from just 147 balls to script a historical chapter of the game. His innings was laced with sumptuous drives, ruthless strokes and some mighty sixes as India posted a massive total of 401 runs.
South Africa failed to win that match despite a century from AB De Villiers.
In his Test-career that lasted for a whopping 200 matches, the Mumbaikar has six double centuries to his name.
Virender Sehwag
On 8 December 2011, Virender Sehwag became the second batsman in the history of the sport to score a double century in ODIs. His knock of 219 runs came against West Indies at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore.
The Windies bowler looked clueless as Sehwag thrashed them across all corners of the ground mercilessly. The scintillating innings was laden with 25 fours and seven sixes.
India won that match by a margin of 153 runs.
Sehwag has crossed the 200-run threshold four times in his Test career. Apart from that, he is also the first batsman to score two triple centuries for India.
Chris Gayle
Chris Gayle’s lone double century in the white-ball cricket came in a highly coveted ICC World Cup 2015 against Zimbabwe.
The Windies southpaw slammed 215 runs off 147 balls, a knock featuring ten fours and sixteen sixes.
After posting 372 on board, West Indies easily won that match by 73 runs on (D/L) method.
Gayle has two triple hundreds to his name in the red-ball cricket and a knock of 204 against New Zealand.
Rohit Sharma
Contrary to other players featuring in the list, Rohit Sharma is the only batsman whose double centuries in a limited-over cricket came way before Test cricket.
Further, unlike others, Rohit has slammed double centuries thrice in ODI cricket, a record that puts him in the league of his own.
Rohit’s maiden double hundred came against the mighty Australians at Bengaluru on 2 November 2013. The stylish right-handed batsman smashed 209 from 158 balls including record sixteen sixes.
His next two came against Sri Lanka, including a 264-run knock in 2014 which still holds the record of the highest individual score in ODI.
However, he has to wait a little longer to achieve this feat in the longest format of the game.
In a home series against South Africa, Rohit smashed the first double hundred of his Test career. He scored 212 from 255 balls in the final Test of a three-match series at Ranchi in 2020.
