April 14 will go down as one of the most prominent dates in the history of cricket as on this in 2004, Brian Lara became the first batsman to score 400 in Test cricket, a record which is still safe even after 16 years. The occasion was the fourth Test of England's 2004 of West Indies and the home side opted to bat after winning the toss. Opener Daren Ganga was dismissed after scoring mere 10 runs and skipper Brian Lara arrived. He started off his innings on a positive note and looked rock solid against the likes of Steve Harmison and Andrew Flintoff. Shane Warne Names Brian Lara Skipper of His Greatest West Indies XI.

Joining forces first with Chris Gaye (69) and then Ramnaresh Sarwan (90), the southpaw registered substantial partnerships and put the visitors on the backfoot. At the end of Day 1, Lara was unbeaten on 86 and many were expecting him to breach the three-figure mark on Day 2. However, what the batsman went on to do was certainly beyond expectations. He brought up his ton in the first session but his appetite for runs only seemed to be increasing. He didn't lose his concentration and continued hammering the England bowlers.

ICC Remembers The Day!!

He brought up his seventh double century and the whole Antigua stadium erupted seeing the southpaw's masterclass. He became a bit aggressive after that and the scoring rate was always on the higher side. In fact, he didn't adopt the defensive approach even in the evening session and as a result, he scored his second triple century in the longest format of the game. At stumps on Day 2, West Indies were standing at 595/5 with Lara being unbeaten on 313. Not many expected him to score 400 as speculations wee that West Indies might declare their innings early in the third day.

However, Lara seemed determined to achieve the milestone as he continued the onslaught and scored runs at a rapid pace. He breached the 350-run mark in the first session and was just 50 away from scripting history. He also went pass Matthew Hayden's 380 to register the highest individual score in Test cricket.

At last, he achieved the milestone in the second session of Day 3 and took the cricketing world by storm. His 400 guided West Indies to register 751/5 in the first innings. West Indies were not able to go past the total even after two innings. However, due to lack of time, the game ended in a draw.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 12, 2020 12:07 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).