Five players who were dropped after scoring a Test century ft. Karun Nair

Test Cricket, the most testing format in the game of cricket has witnessed many iconic innings over its long history. However, some have been unfortunate to be dropped from the side despite their stellar innings played against the red-ball post which they could not retain their place in the 11.

The test is not only the longest but also the most demanding format of cricket; it not only tests a player’s skill but also his endurance and temperament on the field. From adapting to different conditions of the track on different days to varying one's approach to the game, test cricket is best to test a player's calibre. 

To date, when cricket has evolved to its highest level, with the format being reduced to 20 overs internationally and 10 overs in the domestic franchise-level games, scoring a test hundred is still considered one of the most remarkable achievements in the game. Here we list several players across the globe who were left out of their side despite a hundred-plus score in their final game, post which they lost their place in the squad. 

Here’s a list of 5 players who were dropped after scoring a Test century:

1: Karun Nair (303* vs England, 2016)

Karun Nair after the 303* inning against England (Image Credit: NDTV Sports)

After the legendary batter Virender Sehwag, Karun Nair became the second Indian batter to reach an individual score of 300 runs in Test cricket. The right-handed batter played an astonishing knock of 303* in 381 balls, marking a historic moment in the MA Chidambaram Stadium. His amazing knock helped India clinch a Test victory with an innings and 75 runs.

Post the match, he featured in not even a handful of matches between India and Australia in the longer format, and his sudden slight dip in form resulted in his past contributions being neglected, as the batter was eventually dropped, thus making way for Hanuma Vihari into the test side.

2: Geoffrey Boycott (246 vs India, 1967)

One of the greatest English batters, Geoffrey Boycott, who was an influential player for the English cricket team of his era, played this awestriking knock against India in 1967. The cricketer played a fabulous knock of 246 runs from 555 balls during the tour of India. Despite the stellar innings, he was criticized for his slow rate of scoring, despite easy batting conditions and India then being a weak bowling unit. The management post the double hundred dropped him from the XI. 

3: Jason Gillespie (201* vs Bangladesh, 2006)

Jason Gillespie scored a double hundred, coming in at no. 9. (Image Credit: Reddit)

Australian No. 9 Jason Gillespie surprised everyone with his iconic knock of 201* against Bangladesh in his 2009 tour. During his short career, he served as a perfect backup bowler for the two legendary Aussie pacers, Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee, who added the decor to the Australian bowling attack. The tall fast bowler also took 8 wickets in that Test match, conceding only 11 runs. Post this tour in the subcontinent, he was dropped from Australia’s squad for the Ashes. 

4: Shaun Marsh (182 vs West Indies, 2015)

Left-arm Australian batter Shaun Marsh has been omitted from the Australian Test squad since his debut in 2011. He was dropped despite scoring 182 runs against the West Indies in Hobart. Australia decided this after their full-time opening batter Usman Khawaja returned from injury, and the management wanted to retain their long-time opening combination with Khawaja alongside David Warner. 

This snub of the inform batter reflects on the highly competitive spirit of international cricket, where retaining a spot in the 11 has always been a tough nut to crack, especially with so many modern talents around. 

5: Kevin Pietersen (149 vs South Africa, 2012)

England's biggest rescue man Kevin Pietersen (Image Credit: Sportskeeda)

English batter Kevin Pietersen, despite scoring a crucial 149 runs against his motherland South Africa in 2012, was dropped from the 11 for the upcoming Test at Lord’s. However, this was the most controversial snub, as the England management hurled accusations against the former Protea that he had sent derogatory messages about teammates to South African cricketers.

This clearly showed how sometimes off-field confrontations could often shadow a player’s on-field excellence. 

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