John Campbell created history during the fourth day of play on Monday (October 13) in the second Test match between West Indies and India at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi as the visitors mounted an incredible comeback to leave the Shubman Gill-led side in a spot of bother.
After India enforced a follow-on post they took a first innings lead of 270 runs. West Indies finally showed up with the bat on the tour as they forced India to bat again in a turn of events that the hosts did not expect to set the game and series for an exciting finish.
John Campbell Creates History
West Indies opener Campbell was the star of the show as he hit the maiden Test century of his career. Playing the 25th match of his career, the 32-year-old got the landmark in his 50th innings in the longest format of the game. Previously, his highest score was 68 against New Zealand at Wellington in 2020. Infact, he made just three 50+ scores.
Campbell has set a 21st-century world record for the longest an opener has taken (by innings) to score a Test century. Overall, in the history of Test cricket, he is the second player to open the batting and take more than 50 innings to get a maiden Test ton after England’s Trevor Goddard 60 years ago.
Most Innings Played By An Opener Before Maiden Test Ton
| Player | Innings As Opener Before Maiden Test Ton | Year |
| Trevor Goddard | 59 | 1965 |
| John Campbell | 50 | 2025 |
| Daren Ganga | 45 | 2006 |
| Imrul Kayes | 33 | 2004 |
| Bob Simson | 32 | 1964 |
Meanwhile, Campbell also became the first opener from a visiting team to score a Test century in Delhi in the 21st century. While he is overall the 6th batter from an away team who opens the batting to get the huge milestone at iconic Arun Jaitley Stadium, he is the first to do it in 41 years, with the last player being England’s Tim Robinson in December 1984.
Visiting Openers To Score Test Century In Delhi
| Player | Runs | Team | Year |
| Bert Schuffile | 230 | New Zealand | 1955 |
| John Holt | 123 | West Indies | 1959 |
| Dennis Amiss | 179 | England | 1976 |
| Geofrey Boycott | 105 | England | 1981 |
| Tim Robinson | 160 | England | 1984 |
| John Campbell | 115 | West Indies | 2025 |
Campbell is the 17th player to score his maiden Test century, extending its record at the Indian venue with the most instances of a player scoring his maiden. Among the elite list of players who have achieved this feat are Viv Richards and Kapil Dev.
Campbell is the first West Indies opener since Wavell Hinds in 2002 at Kolkata to score a ton against India in India. The last instance of an opening batter from the Windies outfit against the Asian Giants was in 2006 when Daren Ganga reached the milestone in St. Kitts.