Marco Jansen shatters Viv Richards’ 51-year-old record with career-best masterclass in India
Marco Jansen broke the 51-year-old record held by West Indies legend Viv Richards and came close to breaking the all-time record with his career-best epic in India. His remarkable performance sparked global praise and rewrote a significant chapter in cricket history.
South Africa put up a remarkable performance on Day 2 in Guwahati; This performance was highlighted by two impressive contributions from the lower order, taking the visitors to a total of 489. After Senuran Muthusamy made his maiden Test century, Marco Jansen followed up with a contrasting but equally important knock. He was on the verge of his first three-figure score in first-class cricket but fell agonizingly short and was dismissed for 93 with Kuldeep Yadav taking South Africa’s last wicket.
Just when India sensed an opportunity to wrap up the innings, Jansen entered the fray at 7/334. However, South Africa had different intentions; The tall left-handed player prevented the home team by making a boundary barrage. He specifically targeted Ravindra Jadeja and smashed the left-arm spinner for four sixes.
Jansen reached his half-century in just 53 balls and continued to accelerate even after Muthusamy’s dismissal, taking just 38 deliveries in the next 43 overs. He hit six fours and seven sixes in total. This impressive display saw him overtake the legendary Viv Richards and become the visiting batsman to hit the most sixes in a Test innings in India. Richards had previously broken the record with six in 1974; this feat was later matched by Australian Matthew Hayden in 2001.
Jansen’s seven sixes were the most in a Test innings against India, equaling Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi, who achieved the same with his 103 in Lahore in 2006.
Despite his efforts, Jansen was heartbreakingly denied a well-deserved century; He is seven runs shy of the landmark and six runs short of the all-time record on Indian soil. His career-best performance currently ranks him at No. 9 in India, the second-highest score behind Mitchell Starc’s 99 at Mohali in 2012/13. Overall, Jayant Yadav still holds the highest scoring record as he ranked 9th in India with 104 points against England at Wankhede in the 2016/17 season.
The hosts reached nine without loss in 6.1 overs, trailing South Africa by 480 runs on a pitch conducive to batting on in India’s latest Test venue.
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