Five players who were denied major milestones in Test cricket for team's sake

A lot of legends from Donald Bradman to Virat Kohli have achieved great milestones across all forms of the game. These milestones can be centuries, double centuries, triple centuries etc. These performances have helped the team win a lot of matches. However, in Test cricket, there have been instances where players were denied milestones by the skippers.

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Those decisions were taken for the team's sake. A lot of them have resulted in team wins while some ended in a draw. After looking at the list, fans might wonder what could have happened if these players had achieved these milestones. In this listicle, we will discuss five instances where players were denied milestones.

Five players who missed those milestones

Ravindra Jadeja (Image Credit : Twitter)

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1. Ravindra Jadeja

Early this year, Jadeja scored his second Test hundred in Mohali against Sri Lanka. He went on to score an unbeaten 175 with his brilliance. The defensive approach from Sri Lanka team helped his cause as well. The left-hander was assisted well by Mohammed Shami.

It looked like the all-rounder would get his maiden double-hundred. He could have been the first player to get a double hundred batting at number seven. However, skipper Rohit Sharma decided to declare the innings to have a chance at taking 20 Lankan wickets. 

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Sachin Tendulkar (Image Credit : Twitter)

2. Sachin Tendulkar

The batting maestro was nearing another double-hundred in the Test match against Pakistan in 2004. He was batting 194 runs when the then skipper Rahul Dravid decided to declare the innings. Notably, Sachin, who is known to be a team-man, was upset with the decision.

On the other hand, the decision paid off as the team went on to win the game by innings and 52 runs. The win was decisive as India went on to register their first-ever Test series victory in Pakistan. 

Javed Miandad (Image Credit : Twitter)

3. Javed Miandad

One of the Pakistan greats was batting on 280 runs and was looking set to get a triple hundred. The game was played between India and Pakistan in Sindh in January 1983. However, the then Pakistan skipper Imran Khan decided to declare the innings at 581/3.

The decision left Miandad stranded on 280 not out but the team benefitted eventually. India lost the game by innings and 119 runs. The series was played six months before India's World Cup glory. 

AB de Villiers (Image Credit : Twitter)

4. AB de Villers

The legendary batter scored 278 runs in the Test match against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi. The innings came under immense hot conditions in the middle east. Pakistan was toiling hard for the wickets. He was looking to get his maiden triple hundred.

However, the then skipper Graeme Smith decided to declare the innings at 584/9. The decision turned out to be bad as the game ended in a draw. Eventually, De Villers never got to a triple hundred in his career, which ended in 2018. 

Stephen Fleming (Image Credit : Twitter)

5. Stephen Fleming

The former New Zealand and now Chennai head coach in the Indian T20 League decided to put his team ahead of his personal milestone. He was batting on 274 runs against Sri Lanka in their backyard. Being a skipper, he could have easily scored 300 runs.

However, the left-hander decided to declare the innings at 515/7. The game ended in a draw which might leave fans what if he had gotten to his triple hundred with the game producing no result.