ESPNcricinfo Awards 2024 Men's Test batting nominees: For India and against them
Two big hundreds against the world's No. 2 Test side, and one from Indian ranks, feature on the shortlist
Shashank Kishore
23-Jan-2025
Ollie Pope starred in England's win in Hyderabad against India • BCCI
Ollie Pope
196 vs India
first Test, Hyderabad
India got a first-hand taste of Bazball on home soil when Pope channelled chaos to counter India's raging spin threat of R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja - men with nearly 800 Test wickets combined - and pull off a heist. His second-innings rearguard helped overturn a mammoth 190-run deficit, and produced a win against all odds. Pope's magic lay in his plethora of sweeps and reverse sweeps against spin, which he played in defiance of conventional logic, stifling humidity, and a reverse-swing masterclass from Jasprit Bumrah. It was a sensational return to a country where he'd averaged 19 across four innings in 2021.
196 vs India
first Test, Hyderabad
India got a first-hand taste of Bazball on home soil when Pope channelled chaos to counter India's raging spin threat of R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja - men with nearly 800 Test wickets combined - and pull off a heist. His second-innings rearguard helped overturn a mammoth 190-run deficit, and produced a win against all odds. Pope's magic lay in his plethora of sweeps and reverse sweeps against spin, which he played in defiance of conventional logic, stifling humidity, and a reverse-swing masterclass from Jasprit Bumrah. It was a sensational return to a country where he'd averaged 19 across four innings in 2021.
Yashasvi Jaiswal
209 vs England
second Test, Visakhapatnam
Jaiswal likes to take the bowlers on. He's the antithesis of the average Mumbai batter who grows up listening to the virtues of being circumspect. But in Visakhapatnam, with India trailing in the series, Jaiswal revealed layers to his batting that everyone knew he was capable of but hadn't seen until then. It started with him wanting to take the bowling down but quickly turned into a painstaking fight for survival. Jaiswal converted his second Test century into a double, making him the third-youngest Indian after Vinod Kambli and Sunil Gavaskar to achieve the feat.
209 vs England
second Test, Visakhapatnam
Jaiswal likes to take the bowlers on. He's the antithesis of the average Mumbai batter who grows up listening to the virtues of being circumspect. But in Visakhapatnam, with India trailing in the series, Jaiswal revealed layers to his batting that everyone knew he was capable of but hadn't seen until then. It started with him wanting to take the bowling down but quickly turned into a painstaking fight for survival. Jaiswal converted his second Test century into a double, making him the third-youngest Indian after Vinod Kambli and Sunil Gavaskar to achieve the feat.
Litton Das
138 vs Pakistan
second Test, Rawalpindi
From the depths of 26 for 6 on a surface that had live grass on it, Litton played an innings that helped Bangladesh restore parity. Little did he know then that it would prove match-changing: a young Bangladesh pace attack used the surface that was meant to frighten their side to skittle Pakistan in the second innings and set up a smallish chase. Litton's innings was a lesson not just in discipline against spin early on but also in endurance: he kept wicket for all of the first innings in oppressive humidity before coming back out to bat with little time to recover. Blows to the hand while batting were brushed aside as he orchestrated a comeback for the ages with Mehidy Hasan, leading to Bangladesh's greatest Test series win.
138 vs Pakistan
second Test, Rawalpindi
From the depths of 26 for 6 on a surface that had live grass on it, Litton played an innings that helped Bangladesh restore parity. Little did he know then that it would prove match-changing: a young Bangladesh pace attack used the surface that was meant to frighten their side to skittle Pakistan in the second innings and set up a smallish chase. Litton's innings was a lesson not just in discipline against spin early on but also in endurance: he kept wicket for all of the first innings in oppressive humidity before coming back out to bat with little time to recover. Blows to the hand while batting were brushed aside as he orchestrated a comeback for the ages with Mehidy Hasan, leading to Bangladesh's greatest Test series win.
Travis Head has made 629 runs against India in six Tests, starting with the World Test Championship final in 2023; 140 of those came in the first innings in Adelaide•Getty Images
Harry Brook
317 vs Pakistan
first Test, Multan
Imagine scoring your first triple-century at any level of cricket on an away Test tour of the subcontinent. Brook lived this dream as a 25-year-old in Multan, setting up a classic win after England conceded 556. It was a remarkable turnaround for a youngster who had not exactly thrived against Sri Lanka's formidable attack during the home summer a little over a month earlier. On a flat surface against a weary attack, Brook put on a batting clinic that spoke of his hunger to cash in when form was on his side, flaying Pakistan's bowlers to all corners. That he did it in the company of his hero, Joe Root, with whom he shared a mammoth 454-run stand, made it even more special.
317 vs Pakistan
first Test, Multan
Imagine scoring your first triple-century at any level of cricket on an away Test tour of the subcontinent. Brook lived this dream as a 25-year-old in Multan, setting up a classic win after England conceded 556. It was a remarkable turnaround for a youngster who had not exactly thrived against Sri Lanka's formidable attack during the home summer a little over a month earlier. On a flat surface against a weary attack, Brook put on a batting clinic that spoke of his hunger to cash in when form was on his side, flaying Pakistan's bowlers to all corners. That he did it in the company of his hero, Joe Root, with whom he shared a mammoth 454-run stand, made it even more special.
Travis Head
140 vs India
second Test, Adelaide
India's tormentor at world events in the 18 months prior to this Test had a wretched start to the series in Perth. In Adelaide, with a sensational exhibition of batting against the bowlers who pinned him down ten days before, Head made all the noise about team unity in the wake of the Perth loss dissipate, and Australia surged to a series-levelling win inside three days. The innings was typical of Head: he took his chances early on to unsettle the opposition, and then pounced when the bowlers tired and conditions eased.
140 vs India
second Test, Adelaide
India's tormentor at world events in the 18 months prior to this Test had a wretched start to the series in Perth. In Adelaide, with a sensational exhibition of batting against the bowlers who pinned him down ten days before, Head made all the noise about team unity in the wake of the Perth loss dissipate, and Australia surged to a series-levelling win inside three days. The innings was typical of Head: he took his chances early on to unsettle the opposition, and then pounced when the bowlers tired and conditions eased.
Shashank Kishore is a senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo