India Cricket has produced some of the finest batsmen in the history of Test cricket and their top five runscorers are all legends of the game.
History of India Cricket: Top 5 Greatest Ever Batsmen
Explosive opener Virender Sehwag just missed the cut while Sourav Ganguly, Cheteshwar Pujara, Dilip Vengsarkar, Mohammad Azharuddin and Gundappa Viswanath also passed 6,000 Test runs for India. However, there is no room for debate over which player is number one on the list of India’s top five Test batsmen.
History of India Cricket: Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Tendulkar was just 16 when he made his Test debut in 1989 against a fearsome Pakistan bowling attack in Lahore. One year later, the run-scoring prodigy struck his first century, against England at Old Trafford, and by the time he retired from Test cricket in 2013 he had rewritten the record books. Tendulkar played 200 Test matches and remains the leading runscorer in the format, amassing 15,921 runs at an average of 53.78 with 51 centuries.
The ‘Little Master’ scored runs everywhere he went but some of his greatest performances came in Australia, where he scored six centuries in 20 appearances, and South Africa, where he came through an epic duel with fast bowler Dale Steyn to make his final Test ton in January 2011.
History of India Cricket: Rahul Dravid
Rahul Dravid is the second-highest runscorer in India’s Test history, racking up 13,265 runs in 163 matches between 1996 and 2012. Nicknamed ‘The Wall’ due to his unbreachable defence, Dravid was part of a brilliant Indian batting unit in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
He and Tendulkar formed the most prolific partnership in Test history, combining to score 6,920 runs in the 143 innings in which they batted together. Among the many highlights of Dravid’s career was a 2002 Test series in England, where he averaged 100.33, and he also coached India from 2021 to 2024.
History of India Cricket: Sunil Gavaskar
Tendulkar and Dravid took on some outstanding bowlers during their long careers but Sunil Gavaskar, India’s opening batsman from 1971 to 1987, faced the legendary West Indies pace attacks of that era. Gavaskar showed tremendous technique, concentration and courage to score 13 centuries in 27 Tests against the all-conquering Windies and seven of those tons came in the Caribbean.
In his debut series in the West Indies in 1971, the man known as ‘Sunny’ scored 124 and 220 in the fifth Test to help India seal a 1-0 victory. Sixteen years later, in March 1987, Gavaskar scaled new heights by becoming the first batsman to reach 10,000 runs in Test cricket.
History of India Cricket: Virat Kohli
The modern master of Indian batting is Virat Kohli, a sensational white-ball player who has also produced some stunning feats in Test cricket. One of the most stylish and competitive batters of his generation, Kohli has scored seven of his 30 Test centuries in Australia, including four in four matches on India’s 2014-15 tour.
He hit a golden run of form at home between October 2016 and October 2019, scoring three centuries and six double-centuries in 27 Test innings. Depending on his retirement plans, he may yet join Tendulkar, Dravid and Gavaskar in India’s 10,000-run club.
History of India Cricket: VVS Laxman
VVS Laxman became known as ‘Very Very Special’ Laxman after his role in India’s famous 2001 win over Australia at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Having been made to follow on, India conjured up an astonishing victory thanks largely to an epic stand between Dravid (180) and Laxman, who batted for 10-and-a-half hours for his career-best 281.
A fixture in the Indian middle-order for more than a decade, the elegant right-hander made five of his seven highest Test scores against Australia and finished his career with 8,781 runs from 134 matches.
Please note that the information provided in this History of India Cricket article is for entertainment purposes only. We do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information provided. Any action you take upon the information on this article is strictly at your own risk, and we will not be liable for any losses and damages in connection with the use of our article. We do not encourage gambling and remind you to gamble responsibly.
18+ | BeGambleAware.org
