Double Century in Cricket Explained — 200 Runs in a Single Innings

A double century (or double hundred) in cricket is when a batter scores 200 or more runs in a single innings. It is one of the rarest and most celebrated individual batting achievements in cricket, occurring almost exclusively in Test matches due to the time required. A single century (100 runs) is celebrated; a double century demonstrates sustained excellence over an entire day or more of batting.

How rare is a double century?

As of 2025, only around 350 double centuries have been recorded in all of Test cricket history since 1877 — compared to thousands of individual centuries. In a single calendar year, perhaps 5–10 double centuries are scored across all Test cricket worldwide. In ODI cricket, no batter has ever scored a double century — the format's 50-over limit makes it structurally impossible.

Triple centuries — the ultra-rare feat

A triple century (300+ runs) is extraordinarily rare. Only 31 have been scored in Test cricket history. Hanif Mohammad of Pakistan scored the first notable triple century (337 vs West Indies, 1958). Brian Lara holds the world record for the highest individual score in Test cricket: 400 not out for West Indies against England in Antigua in 2004, set in just one day and a session of batting.

Notable double and triple centuries

Double centuries in white-ball cricket

In ODI cricket, Rohit Sharma (India) holds the record for the highest individual score: 264 against Sri Lanka in 2014 — the only score above 250 in ODI history, and one of only three double centuries in the format (the others are Chris Gayle's 215* and Martin Guptill's 237*). In T20 cricket, individual scores above 100 are rare; no one has ever scored 150 in a T20I.