Vijay Hazare’s Historic Twin Centuries: The 1948 Test Feat Sonal Dinusha Just Matched

Vijay Hazare made history in 1948 with centuries in both innings after India followed on against Australia. Sonal Dinusha has now joined the exclusive club.

Vijay Hazare’s Historic Twin Centuries: The 1948 Test Feat Sonal Dinusha Just Matched (Vijay Hazare’s Historic Twin Centuries: The 1948 Test Feat Sonal Dinusha Just Matched)

A Test century is difficult enough. To score another one after being forced to follow on, with your team collapsing around you, requires something far greater than technical ability. It demands extraordinary resilience.

In 1948, India's Vijay Hazare produced precisely that kind of performance at Adelaide.

Nearly eight decades later, Sri Lanka's Sonal Dinusha has joined an exclusive club after scoring 103 in the first innings against India and an unbeaten 133 in the second, helping his team secure an extraordinary draw after being forced to follow on.

Dinusha became only the third batsman after Hazare and Zimbabwe's Andy Flower to score centuries in both innings of a Test after his team had been forced to follow on. He also became the first player to reach centuries in two different innings on consecutive days of the same Test, reaching his first hundred on Day 4 and his second on Day 5.

India's former captain Vijay Hazare remains the only batsman to have scored centuries in successive days of a Test in the more literal sense.

At Adelaide in January 1948, Hazare made 116 in India's first innings and 145 in the second, with the two centuries coming on consecutive days. He became the first Indian to score centuries in both innings of a Test and, remarkably, achieved the feat while India were following on.

The circumstances were extraordinary. The Adelaide Test was the fourth of India's five-Test tour of Australia. Lala Amarnath's side had already lost the first two Tests, with Melbourne drawn. Australia were overwhelmingly dominant, but Hazare produced a performance that stood apart.

Bradman was again irresistible, scoring 201, while Hassett fell only two runs short of another double century. Australia's 674 is still its highest total against India.

India's reply began disastrously. They were 6 for two at the close of the second day. On the third, five wickets were down for 133, but Hazare held firm, and Phadkar helped him take the score to 299 for five, with Hazare unbeaten on 108 at the close of play.

They were eventually separated after adding 188 runs, when Hazare was dismissed for 116, with 14 fours. India then collapsed, remained 293 runs behind and were forced to follow on.

All this happened on the fourth day, and this time their start was even worse, with two wickets falling without a run on the board. With wickets tumbling around him, Hazare held firm as India ended the day on 188 for six, with Hazare unbeaten on 102.

The following day, he went on to make 145.

India were finally dismissed for 277 and lost by an innings and 16 runs. But the result has never diminished Hazare's achievement. His two centuries, reached on the third and fourth days, remain one of the defining individual performances of India's early Test history.

Ray Lindwall claimed a career-best seven for 38, while Bradman, Hassett and Barnes had dominated with the bat. Yet Hazare's twin centuries became the lasting memory of the match.

There was also a fascinating personal story behind Hazare's performance. Australian leg-spinner Clarrie Grimmett had encountered Hazare years earlier when he visited India to coach the Maharaja of Jath and his brother. The young Hazare came under Grimmett's influence, and the Australian recognised his batting talent.

Years later, Grimmett watched his former pupil produce the greatest batting performance of his Test career at Adelaide. After the match, Grimmett invited Hazare to his home. Standing at the dinner table, he raised his glass and said:

“Vijay, a toast. You have made me a proud man today.”

It was a fitting tribute from an old mentor who had recognised Hazare's talent when he was still a young cricketer.