10 Best batting knocks of the year 2015

The year 2015 was a great year for the batsmen. This year, to be particular was a run feast. There was an unusual ease with which batsmen hit the bowlers around the park. The start of the year saw the highest T20I score being chased down at the same venue where incidentally the highest ODI target was chased. A week later, fans were treated with fastest ODI century in the game’s history. The ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 saw not one but two double centuries. As the World Cup concluded with Australia being crowned the champions, the focus shifted to the Tests which also saw some gutsy knocks. Overall 2015 was an entertaining year. Here we list out the top batting knocks of 2015. 1. AB de Villiers – 149 v West Indies: (Photo Source: Gallo Images) The 2nd ODI between South Africa and West Indies at Johannesburg was a match to remember for many reasons. The match saw South Africa post 439/2 with the top three scoring centuries, which was in fact, the first time it happened in an ODI innings. But, the match belonged to the batting genius AB de Villiers who smashed the record for the fastest century in ODI cricket. The ton came off just 31 balls to beat the previous quickest set by Corey Anderson off 36 balls in 2014 against the same opposition in Queenstown in 2014. De Villiers got to his fifty in just 16 balls which was another world record. The previous record was held by Sanath Jayasuriya, who scored 50 of 17 balls against Pakistan in 1996. AB de Villiers (16 sixes) also equaled the world record for the most sixes in an ODI innings. 2. Chris Gayle – 215 v Zimbabwe: Chris Gayle. (© Getty Images) Chris Gayle was on a record making spree the day West Indies met Zimbabwe in the World Cup 2015. Zimbabwe were totally destroyed by the brutal Gayle storm. Batting first, West Indies lost its first wicket in the first over itself and that was the last moment for happiness for the Zimbabwean team as Gayle was joined by Samuels who carried on batting till the last ball of the innings. Windies racked up a massive total of 372 for 2 as Chris Gayle led the way with a majestic innings of 215. This was first World Cup double hundred by any batsman and the fastest. His final score of 215 left him fourth in the list, after Rohit (264), Sehwag (219) and Martin Guptill (237) in terms of highest ODI scores. Gayle, with 16 sixes, also equaled AB de Villiers and Rohit for most sixes in an ODI innings. 3. Martin Guptill – 237* v West Indies: Martin Guptill. (© Getty Images) After electing to bat first, New Zealand lost Brendon McCullum and Kane Williamson in short successions. However, opener Martin Guptill kept getting the runs at the other end. Guptill kept going after completing his fifty off 64 balls and later brought up his second World Cup hundred off 111 balls. Until this point, this innings looked ordinary but a pure onslaught was to come. Guptill went berserk scoring 137 runs off the last 52 balls. The even more, fascinating aspect was that 84 runs came in the last five overs. From 100 off 111, he ended with unbeaten at 237 off 163. Guptill became the fifth batsman to make a double-hundred and second in this World Cup as New Zealand finished with 393 for 6. 4. Alastair Cook – 263 v Pakistan: Alastair Cook. (© MARWAN NAAMANI/AFP/Getty Images) Alastair Cook’s 263 was the best knock of 2015 in Tests. It was the first Test of the series at Abu Dhabi and Pakistan had amassed 523 runs in the first innings after Shoaib Malik’s double century (245) and Asad Shafiq’s century (107) made the England bowlers toil hard for two days. Captain Cook opened the England innings and batted for a grueling 836 minutes at the crease and hit an epic knock of 263 runs to help England post 598/9 decl. and gain a 75-run lead. It was one of those displays of batsmanship which would be remembered for a long period of time. 5. Ross Taylor – 290 v Australia: (Photo Source: Twitter) Ross Taylor’s knock was also pretty similar to Cook’s innings. After being set a first innings total of 559 to overhaul, New Zealand had a tough task at their hand. However, Ross Taylor played a match-defining knock of 290 runs which included 43 hits to the fence. His partnership of 265 runs with Kane Williamson provided stability to the New Zealand which folded at a mammoth 624. His monumental 290 broke a century-old record and is the highest score ever made by a visiting batsman in Australia. 6. Ajinkya Rahane – 127 v South Africa: Ajinkya Rahane. (Photo Source: Associated Press) Ajinkya Rahane is a trustworthy batsman and has scored runs everywhere around the world, except India. And, this fact became a reason for the critics to point out their fingers at him. The Test series against South Africa was an opportunity for him to prove the critics wrong. But, he was struggling to score runs here as well, managing just 39 runs after three Tests. But, Rahane made most of the last opportunity he had in the series. On a tricky surface when other batsmen from both the teams were struggling, he batted defiantly and hit centuries in both the innings of the match. In the first innings, he made 127 and played the anchor’s role while in the second innings he made a 100 not out and guided India in the chase. 7. Cheteshwar Pujara – 145* v Sri Lanka: Cheteshwar Pujara. (© AFP/Getty Images) During the 3rd Test at Colombo against Sri Lanka, Cheteshwar Pujara played a gutsy knock of 145* in the first innings. Pujara opened the innings and soon saw his fellow peers departing to the pavilion. Lankan bowlers were able to find breakthroughs regularly. The middle order had also flunked and India looked in trouble but Pujara at one end batted solidly. Some late support from Amit Mishra enabled him to reach his well-deserved century. With the help of Pujara’s innings, India posted 312 runs in the end after being 180/7 at one point. India eventually won the match by 117 runs after Sri Lanka couldn’t chase down the target of 385 set by India. 8. Chris Gayle – 90 v South Africa: (Photo Source: Gallo Images) On January 11, 2015, Chris Gayle once again proved why he is the lord of the T20 format. Wanderers that had previously witnessed the all-time highest ODI chase witnessed yet another epic chase. West Indies pulled off the highest successful run chase in the shortest format after they chased down the target of 236 driven by Chris Gayle’s 90 off 41 balls. He was the man in charge from the beginning. West Indies need quick run and Gayle was capable of doing that. As it happened, West Indies chased the target with 4 balls remaining and four wickets in hand. He was heading for his second T20I century but got out when Windies were on 171. 9. Dinesh Chandimal – 162* v India: Dinesh Chandimal scored his best 162* in Tests against India at Galle. (Photo Source: AFP) This was a gritty knock. Dinesh Chandimal rescued Sri Lanka from a dodgy situation in the third innings of the 1st Test against India. India were at the driver’s seat after bringing down Sri Lanka to 5 for 95. Indians were fancying an innings victory but Chandimal changed the whole course of the match. He played the shots fluently and whenever he mis-hit the ball, luck favored him. He made the Indian bowlers rethink their strategy. Chandimal’s made 162* runs studded with 19 boundaries and 4 sixes. With the help of his century and contributions from lower middle order, Sri Lanka posted 367 runs, setting the target of 175 runs which they managed to defend with the help of Rangana Herath’s 7/48 and won the match by 63 runs. 10. Shoaib Malik – 245 v England: (© Getty Images) Shoaib Malik, after a hiatus of 5 years from Test cricket, celebrated his comeback in the best possible ways as a batsman, by getting a three figure score. However, Malik’s three-figure mark was not a century, it was a double century. He played a sparkling knock of 245 against England at Abu Dhabi in the first Test of the series. He made the English bowlers toil under the hot sun and batted 639 minutes. His knock was studded by 24 boundaries and 4 sixes which show that he made most of all the scoring opportunities that came his way.

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10 Best batting knocks of the year 2015

**7. Cheteshwar Pujara – 145* v Sri Lanka:**

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