6 wicketkeepers of the cricket world… who scored the most runs in a test series, the world record has been intact for 59 years

E Delhi. In the history of cricket, the role of wicketkeeper has always been dual and very tiring. It is not a common task to constantly get up and down on the field, maintain concentration on every ball and then take off the gloves and handle the team’s batting. But when the pages of history are turned, we see some wicketkeeper-batsmen who destroyed the opposition team not only behind the wicket but also with the bat. Let us know about 6 wicketkeepers in Test history who scored such a mountain of runs in a series that even the great batsmen kept watching.

South African wicketkeeper Dennis Lindsay is at the top of this list. He made this world record in the year 1966-67 when the Australian team was on the tour of South Africa. What Lindsay accomplished still stands as an unbreakable record. Lindsay wreaked havoc against the Kangaroo bowlers in the entire series, scoring 606 runs in 7 innings of 5 matches. His highest score was 182 runs and he batted at an unmatched average of 86.57. He scored 3 centuries and 2 half-centuries. The most surprising thing was that even during that period his strike rate was above 76. These 606 runs scored by Lindsay are still the most runs scored by a wicketkeeper in a Test series.

The side of Andy Flower that was never seen again
Nearly three decades after Lindsay’s blast, in the year 2000-01, the Zimbabwean team toured India. In this series, the world saw the form of a genius named Andy Flower which was never seen again. In just 4 innings of 2 matches, Andy Flower scored a lot of runs against the Indian spinners. He scored 540 runs in this small series. This also included an unbeaten marathon inning of 232 runs. In the entire series, Indian bowlers could dismiss him only twice, due to which his batting average was 270. During his magical batting, Flower scored 2 centuries and 2 half-centuries and hit 70 fours.

Buddhi Kunderan showed the power of his bat
The next name in this list is that of the Indian player who had long ago changed the definition of wicketkeepers’ batting in Test cricket. When the England team came to India in the year 1963-64, Indian wicketkeeper Buddhi Kunderan showed the magic of his bat. Kunderan batted brilliantly and scored 525 runs in 10 innings of 5 matches. With the highest score of 192 runs, he scored at an average of 52.50 in this series. He scored 2 centuries and 1 half-century against England and hit 79 fours in his innings.

Brad Haddin proved to be a nightmare for England bowlers
If we do not talk about the Ashes series of the modern era, then this story will remain incomplete. In the famous Ashes series of 2013-14, where Australia had whitewashed England 5-0, Kangaroo wicketkeeper Brad Haddin proved to be a nightmare for the England bowlers. Whenever Australia’s top order faltered, Haddin would stand up as a troubleshooter. He scored 493 runs in 8 innings of 5 matches at an excellent average of 61.62. His performance included 1 century and 5 half-centuries. This counter-batting of Haddin never gave England a chance to make a comeback in the series.

West Indies wicketkeeper Gary Alexander at number five
A similar historic battle was seen during the ‘Frank Worrell Trophy’ between West Indies and Australia in 1960-61. West Indies wicketkeeper Gary Alexander fought fiercely with his bat on Kangaroo soil. He scored 484 runs in 10 innings of 5 matches while remaining unbeaten twice. With an average of 60.50 and a highest score of 108 runs, Alexander had given great strength to the middle order of the West Indies team. He had achieved the feat of scoring 1 century and 5 half-centuries on this very difficult tour.

Rishabh Pant did wonders on Australia tour
India’s match-winning wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant had performed brilliantly during India’s tour of Australia in the year 2020-21. Be it saving the Sydney Test or breaking the pride of Gabba and registering a historic victory, Pant emerged as a hero everywhere. He scored 479 runs in just 7 innings of 4 matches in this series. Pant scored runs at an average of 68.42 and a stormy strike rate of almost 78. In this series, he scored 2 centuries and 3 half-centuries along with a memorable inning of 134 runs. The 17 sky-high sixes that came off his bat are enough to show how much mental pressure he created on the Kangaroo bowlers.