What is 'carrying the bat' in cricket?

In cricket, a batter is said to have carried his/her bat by remaining unbeaten for the entire duration of an innings, meaning only opening batters fall under this term

[{"selector":"#anim-6111e3b8-ee41-4bc4-b45a-7c35f3a4f1ab [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate(0%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-64208a4f-7453-4be5-8566-597e996301b5","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-50897623-ca9b-4be7-93dc-d71cd8d11ee6","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 121.84055%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

The most recent instance of carrying one's bat was in the ongoing Duleep Trophy, when Abhimanyu Easwaran batted for the entire duration of India B's innings against India A, remaining unbeaten on 157 on Sunday

[{"selector":"#anim-d98f214b-62e4-4992-a658-8c2a51f65d08 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate(0%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-85b2bb30-6540-40fd-86b2-d057b298c3e2","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-13316116-2782-43fa-a1a5-ce135a8a7496","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 116.97989%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

The feat of carrying the bat has been achieved a total of 73 times across formats in men's international cricket, including 57 times in Tests as well as 12 instances in women's internationals

[{"selector":"#anim-1c1e60ec-eed0-43dc-b035-033fc73452d7 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate(0%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-4d23b352-15e5-4ed3-b614-9a565ca04f72","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-2fda0e3d-fee0-493a-a139-94a4d39f135a","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 119.01071%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

The first batter to achieve this feat was South Africa's Bernard Tancred against England in Cape Town in 1889, his unbeaten 26 also the lowest score in men's internationals in this context

[{"selector":"#anim-965f525a-7aa2-441f-849f-c12500f37483 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate(0%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-3f3fa687-c446-4d45-830b-a901fb1e16b4","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-3e455638-e690-4fbe-910a-57fe18803282","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 116.97989%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

Former South Africa Test captain Dean Elgar and West Indian batting legend Desmond Haynes hold the distinction of having achieved the feat thrice in their career

[{"selector":"#anim-4eb8583d-5d90-469a-aac4-5a74d8f96ef3 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate(0%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-29738f98-c1d5-4801-b647-fddec7189c50","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-84b573e4-752a-4a0c-83b3-c5fdd6883d67","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 122.22222%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

New Zealand's Tom Latham holds the record for the highest score while carrying the bat thorugh a completed innings, smashing an unbeaten 264 against Sri Lanka in Wellington in 2018

[{"selector":"#anim-5665bc99-2625-4410-81f8-13ad8c7237d0 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate(0%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-d5fec0a3-4c3b-4f74-ad2c-aa2985be8b6e","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-1e6bd734-8c52-457c-97df-3785d2356783","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 118.01402%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

Sunil Gavaskar was the first Indian batter to achieve the feat with his unbeaten 127 against Pakistan in Faisalabad in 1983

[{"selector":"#anim-58fa09da-2cdc-469c-8f67-d2a34e02bf9b [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate(0%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-70f2b7be-60c4-4a1f-bc9a-2fcff2c6df42","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-8c18309d-8b80-4895-b246-43b046fef13c","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 125.43210%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

The other Indians to achieve this feat are Virender Sehwag (vs SL, 2008), Rahul Dravid (vs ENG, 2011) and Cheteshwar Pujara (vs SL, 2015) in men's cricket and Purnima Rau (vs NZ in 2000) in women's cricket

[{"selector":"#anim-b7d3a757-a3d4-4893-8b51-80e048e266fe [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate(0%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-2840a57f-aa37-4739-9aaa-f84ced64af09","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-d393297a-9d1e-4197-b4d9-0001d5e39266","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 116.97989%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

The most recent instance of a batter carrying the bat was Bangladesh’s Litton Das against Afghanistan in the T20 World Cup Super 8s in June this year

[{"selector":"#anim-018f6345-1345-46f1-8cf2-c40e2309d6b8 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate(0%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-550ea2f5-5991-40ac-bc8f-0b7868a5437c","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-ac02b7fb-a411-46bc-9f1f-4d9052ab7a92","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 124.54320%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]