John Campbell led a remarkable comeback for the West Indies during the ongoing second Test against India at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. The left-handed batsman achieved his maiden Test century on the fourth day of the match, hitting a six off Ravindra Jadeja. This milestone makes him only the fifth player from the Caribbean to score a century in Test cricket. Furthermore, Campbell’s ton ended a seven-year drought for West Indies, making him the first player from his team to reach this milestone against India since October 2018.
Roston Chase was the last West Indies player to score a century against India, achieving the feat during a Test in Hyderabad. Campbell’s journey to his first Test century took him 50 innings across 25 matches.
Players with Most Innings to Score Maiden Test 100 as Opener: | Players | Innings Taken to Score Century | |——————–|——————————-| | Trevor Goddard | 58 | | John Campbell | 49 | | Daren Ganga | 44 | | Imrul Kayes | 32 | | Bob Simpson | 31 |
John Campbell also made history as the first West Indies opener to score a century against India in 19 years. The last opener to accomplish this was Daren Ganga, who scored 135 runs in 2006. Additionally, Campbell is the first West Indies opening batsman to score a Test century against India on Indian soil since Wavell Hinds at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata in 2002.
Campbell further contributed to the team’s performance, forming a partnership of 177 runs with Shai Hope for the third wicket. This marked another significant achievement, breaking a 14-year gap for 150-plus partnerships for the West Indies against India in the longest format of the game.
