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India’s night watchmen have occasionally turned into unlikely batting heroes, and the latest to join that list is pacer Akash Deep, whose 94-ball 66 against England in 2025 puts him second on the list of highest scores by an Indian night watchman since 2000.
Only former cricketer Amit Mishra’s 84 against England in 2011 surpasses it, a reminder of the leg-spinner’s capability with the bat. Mishra also features a second time with a solid 58 versus Bangladesh back in 2010.
| Highest Score by a Night Watchman for India Since 2000 | |||
| Player | Opponent | Year | Score |
| Amit Mishra | England | 2011 | 84 |
| Akash Deep | England | 2025 | 66 |
| Amit Mishra | Bangladesh | 2010 | 58 |
| Irfan Pathan | Australia | 2008 | 46 |
| Murali Kartik | Bangladesh | 2000 | 43 |
Akash Deep's knock, particularly under pressure in a challenging Test environment, reflects resilience and technical grit. While night watchmen are typically deployed to protect frontline batters, this list proves that when needed, they can step up and significantly contribute to India’s cause with the bat.
Highest score by a night watchmen in Test cricket
As far as the highest score by a night watcher is concerned, the standards have been set pretty high with Australia's Gillespie scoring an unbeaten double hundred for the Aussies (201*) against Bangladesh in Chittagong back in 2006.
| Most runs in an innings by a nightwatchman | ||||
| Score | Player | Match | Location | Year |
| 201* | JN Gillespie | Australia v Bangladesh | Chittagong | 2006 |
| 125 | MV Boucher | South Africa v Zimbabwe | Harare | 1999 |
| 108 | MV Boucher | South Africa v England | Durban | 1999 |
| 105 | AL Mann | Australia v India | Perth | 1977 |
| 101* | SMH Kirmani | India v Australia | Mumbai | 1979 |
| 101 | Nasim-ul-Ghani | Pakistan v England | Lord's | 1962 |
| 99* | AJ Tudor | England v New Zealand | Birmingham | 1999 |
| 98 | H Larwood | England v Australia | Sydney | 1933 |
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