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Batters with most Test hundreds against India takes us on a whirlwind list from around the cricket frenzied globe that actually comprises some of the finest willow-wielders and legends in their own right whose abilities with the bat have stunned fans besides entertaining them.
That they’ve been responsible for dollops of run making in cricket’s longest format says a thing or two about their efforts and deeds that besides safeguarding their respective teams, they have held their own individual records in good stead. And that these are prominent century makers and that too, against a team as imposing as India underscores their finesse with the wood. Having said that, without mincing a single word let us dive into the list of batters with most Test hundreds against India.
List of batters with most Test hundreds against India
Joe Root (11)
3054 runs at an average of 58!
As tall as the reach of the Himalayas and as committed as the eldest son of a family who desires to keep all together, there’s a sense of intent and purpose about Joe Root when it comes to Test match cricket, the right hander having just recently struck a gritty Test century at Lord’s: a 104.
That it came against India also underlines his prowess against what is a mighty opponent and the earnest man has become after scoring eleven Test tons and 3054 runs in red-ball cricket, the table-topper among players with most Test hundreds against India.
That Joe Root, who’s already taken his Test tally past 13000 runs is still 34 billed as the one who could get past Tendulkar’s Test run tally comes hardly as a surprise. Such is his infinite genius.
Steve Smith (11)
2356 runs average of 58.9!
Team in trouble who do you turn to? Well, when it comes to Test match cricket against India, then Steven Smith would and still is one of the most convincing answers for Australia.
There are always batters who emerge as the great nadirs against some peculiar opponents, Smith against India marking that key contest.
One of the batters with most Test hundreds against India, Smith who has scored eleven as on date, scored 2356 runs with an average that’s currently touching 59.
When countering adversity, he’s known to lift further his lofty standards of batting and bring out his A-game even against challenging sides such as India. Something he’s done to much success whether facing bowlers like Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma in the past or the likes of Bumrah, Siraj, Ashwin and company from the current fold of the game.
Ricky Ponting (8)
2555 runs average of 54!
Cricket and its global legion of fans have always thrived on entertainers with the bat who clubbed the element of risk taking with an aggressive intent. One of the purest examples in that regard was, still is, Ricky Ponting, batter extraordinaire and a captain second to none.
Having been part of a fabled Australian set up from the days of the yore where after one match-winner’s dismissal walked another, Ponting was ruthless with the bat and loaded with intent.
That high back lift, aggressive playing style and the ability to time and hit the ball with rich aplomb made him a standout even against mighty competitive sides such as India.
With 2555 runs in Test cricket against teams led by big names such as Sourav Ganguly, Ricky Ponting happens to be a prime feature of batters with most Test hundreds versus India. And he made these runs at a respectable average of 54.
Sir Vivian Richards (8)
1927 runs average of 50!
One of the batters with most Test hundreds versus India happens to be the legendary Sir Isaac Vivian Alexander Richards, a batter with a brute instinct for domination and someone who regularly made light work of most bowlers who confronted him, irrespective of spin or pace talents.
Sir Viv scored 1927 Test match runs against India confronting some of the most notable bowlers of their day, including the great Kapil Dev, Roger Binny, Bishan Singh Bedi and many others.
Never the one who looked uncomfortable and forever on the front foot when it came to attacking bowlers with great seat, Sir Viv was akin to the lion of West Indies who roared supreme over the most challenging format and at a time where cricket hadn’t yet become overly leaning towards the batters.
Sir Gary Sobers (8)
1920 runs average of 83!
Where the template of sheer excellence is concerned, especially across both formats of the game, one still doesn’t seek names beyond the great Sir Garfield Sobers, a timeless icon of the sport. Perhaps only Jacques Kallis is the only real exception in this rather constricted list for all round greatness doesn’t come that easy to too many.
And speaking of greatness, Sir Sobers was responsible for astonishing numbers against Team India, thereby marking himself as one of the players with most Test hundreds versus India.
For someone who played Test cricket for no fewer than two decades, having begun in 1954, Sir Gary Sobers clubbed 1920 of his 8000 plus Test runs against India. But as impressive as his run tally is his batting average against what was always a clearly challenging opponent: it being 83.
Let that number sink in.
FAQs
Which West Indian batter has scored most Test hundreds against India?
Not one but two West Indians have struck the most number of Test centuries against India and they're not Kara or Gayle, but Sir Gary Sobers and Sir Vivian Richards.
Which batter has scored most number of Test tons against India?
Undoubtedly it is the great Joe Root with eleven Test tons.
Is there an Aussie with most Test tons vs India?
That is Steven Smith of Australia, an icon of the game. And he's hit 11 tons with probably more to come!
