Who is India’s highest scorer in a Test innings at MCG? Virat Kohli at 2nd; Tendulkar, Rahane feature star-studded list

India will want the team’s batting to come awake during the fourth match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, as the teams head to the Melbourne Cricket Ground for the traditional Boxing Day Test. It is a famous event in every Australian summer, and India has some very fond memories of matches played in Melbourne. Fans will be hoping that Rohit Sharma’s men can take inspiration from some of the best innings played at the historic ground.

Here are the top five highest scores by Indian players at the MCG.

1. Virender Sehwag: 195, 2003-04

A famous and memorable innings, Virender Sehwag took the attack to the Australian bowling in a brutal fashion at the MCG in this match. In an innings which consisted of 130 runs off boundaries alone — 25 fours and 5 sixes — Sehwag lit up an exciting Boxing Day in Melbourne. He reached his century midway through the second session, but India collapsed from 278-1 to 366 all out, letting Australia take control of the match via a Ricky Ponting 257*.

2. Virat Kohli: 169, 2014-15

Twin centuries in Adelaide, twin failures in Brisbane, and nobody was quite sure what to expect from Virat Kohli at the MCG. What resulted was Kohli playing the sort of innings that immediately memorialised his series as one of the finest a visiting batter has ever had in Australia. Kohli showed more of what fans have come to expect in Australia, looking extremely at home against the Aussie attack as he made sure India was undaunted by the hosts’ huge first innings score.

3. Ajinkya Rahane: 147, 2014-15

Kohli’s partner in crime on the day was Ajinkya Rahane. Already having scored tonnes in Wellington and Lord’s that year, Rahane’s 2014 established him as an adept overseas bat. He stitched together a 262-run partnership with Kohli, their dual centuries making sure India were competitive. Unfortunately, Rahane’s dismissal led to collapse, but the pair had done enough to ensure that India could at the very least see out a draw.

4. Sunil Gavaskar: 118, 1977-78

India made a landmark win over Australia at the Boxing Day Test in 1977, their first win on Australian shores. It was an effort guided by twin six-fers by BS Chandrasekhar with the ball in hand, but with bat, it was Sunil Gavaskar who was the anchor for this famous victory. The highest ever second innings century at the MCG by an Indian player helped the visitors take a lead of 386 runs, with a typically patient and resolute Gavaskar innings helping the team to the win.

5. Sachin Tendulkar: 116, 1999-2000

To complete a list of the who’s-who of Indian batters, Sachin Tendulkar’s lone-warrior stand as skipper during the millennium tour saw him score 116 runs while six Indian batters fell for single digit scores at the MCG. India just barely avoided a follow-on thanks to a 43-run partnership for the ninth wicket between Tendulkar and Anil Kumble, but it was never close to enough as Australia trounced the visitors in what was a pretty devastating series for the Indian team.