"India will miss his fighting spirit.. it's going to be a shame not to play against him": Ben Stokes on Virat Kohli's absence in England series
The England skipper recently shared his thoughts when asked about what India will miss in Kohli ahead of their test clash. "India will miss his fighting spirit" says Ben Stokes on Virat Kohli's absence in England series. Discover what else he said.
The cricketing world is buzzing with discussions surrounding the upcoming IND vs ENG series, and a voice has highlighted a significant void: the absence of Virat Kohli. England's Test captain, Ben Stokes, has openly expressed his belief that India will feel the lack of Kohli's renowned "fighting spirit" and other things on the field.
Stokes also revealed how he texted Kohli after his decision to retire and term it as a shame he won't be there to play in the field.
This statement from an opponent shows the immense impact Kohli has left and the challenge India faces in a crucial series without one of its finest test players.
Check the full story of Ben Stokes on Virat Kohli's absence in England series:
Ben Stokes on Virat Kohli's absence in England series
Ben Stokes and Virat Kohli. Image | Instagram
Ben Stokes has analysed how Virat Kohli's absence can affect India, 2 days prior the test series against England. When asked about what India will miss in Kohli after he decided to step down from tests, here's how the English skipper replied:
"I think what India will miss, will be his fighting spirit out in the game, his competitiveness, desire to win." He further goes on to add "It will be weird to not see number 18 at the back of any Indian shirt. I did text him saying it's going to be a shame not to play against him because I love playing against Virat."
Stokes also shared how he feels both Kohli and him have the same mindset when out in the field, and addressed the fact that he has done really well against England in his test career.
England: Ben Stokes (c), Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Sam Cook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jamie Smith (wk), Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes
Most Hundreds in Test cricket among active players
With 39 test tons, Joe Root is now the player with most hundreds in test cricket among active cricketers. Steve Smith and Kane Williamson follow him on the list.
Test cricket, mostly called the purest format of the game, has seen some of the greatest cricketers and batters showing their skills with patience, stroke-making ability and the perseverance to bat long and score.
Past greats and legends like Don Bradman, Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara, Jacques Kallis and many others dominated test cricket during their time. But, with modern cricket kicking in, this time we will look at the list of active players with the most hundreds in test cricket.
Players with most Test centuries in cricket history
Infographic by Sportz Point
Before we talk about the current active cricketers, we should and must take a look at all the batters who dominate the overall list. As we all know, Sachin Tendulkar is the batter with most hundreds in test cricket. In fact, his record of 100 international tons might not be broken ever in cricket history.
Before Sachin broke into the scene, there was Sir Don Bradman, who had retired as the batter with the most test centuries (29), and later the little master Sunil Gavaskar broke his record and finished his career with 34 test centuries. But, do they come in the list of players with the most test centuries? Let's take a look at that.
So, sadly, one of the greatest cricketers in cricket history, Sir Don Bradman, does not even come in the top 10 batters with the most test tons in cricket history. Interestingly, only Joe Root is the active cricketer on that list. Hence, you already know who the active cricketer with the most test tons is: Joe Root.
Most Test Centuries by active cricketers
#10. Ben Stokes | 13
Regarded as one of the best test cricketers of the 2010s and 2020s, Ben Stokes is perhaps the greatest match-winner of modern cricket. The southpaw batter is as lethal with the bat in the lower middle order and can change his gear with regard to the needs of the game.
Not only that, his skill to bat with the tail and chase nearly impossible totals in the last inning is quite remarkable.
Stokes has 13 test centuries against his name in 113 test matches for the Three Lions. His 258 in just 198 balls against South Africa in Cape Town saw him make the fastest test double century by any English cricketer. That is also the highest test score by a batter batting at number six.
And, yes, who can forget his immortal innings of 135 at Edgbaston in the 2019 Ashes Test, where he single-handedly achieved England's highest successful run chase in Tests, with Jack Leach at the other end.
#9 Tom Latham | 13
Tom Latham, the Kiwi opener, is surely one of the best top-order batters of this generation. Although he has always been in the shadow of Kane Williamson, Latham has contributed well to his country since his test debut in 2014. In the last ten years, Latham has played 81 test matches and scored 5516 test runs so far, including 13 test centuries, which places him at number nine in this list.
Latham's unbeaten 264 against Sri Lanka in Wellington in 2018 is the highest score by any opener while carrying his bat. Not only that, he is only the second Kiwi cricketer to carry his bat in test cricket.
Latham is currently the vice-captain of the test team and one of the reasons for New Zealand's success in recent years.
#8. Mominul Haque | 13
He might be the most surprising name on this list of active players with most hundreds in test cricket.
Mominul Haque, the stylish and gritty test batter from Bangladesh, is at No. 8 on this list with 13 test tons. The top-order batter started his test career with a record-breaking 181 against Sri Lanka, which is the highest debut score by any Bangladeshi batter.
Since then, he has been one of the pillars of the Bangladeshi batting lineup in tests. From 2013 to 2017, Haque averaged over 50 with the bat, which dropped to below 40 post-2022.
He is one of only six batters, including the likes of Don Bradman, Kumar Sangakkara and Jacques Kallis, to score seven test tons at a single venue; Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram.
#7 Usman Khawaja | 16
Another top-order batter in the list of active players with most test hundreds, who has made tons of runs in the last few years for Australia. Usman, who was born in Pakistan and later moved to Australia as a young kid, made his test debut in 2011, replacing the great Ricky Ponting at number.
At that time, he became the first Muslim cricketer to play for Australia. Despite a decent debut match, Khawaja was never given a long run and kept losing his spot in the team.
In 2015-16, he made another solid return to the test squad, but his failure in away tests always kept him in and out of the team. But, after his comeback with two tons in a single test match in 2022 against England in Sydney, Khwaja has emerged as one of the best batters for Australia. His move at the top of the order has also helped him regain his lost confidence at the international level.
Post a stunning 2023, where he scored 1210runs in 13 test matches at 52.60, Khawaja won the 2023 ICC Test Cricketer of the Year award.
In 80 test matches so far, Khawaja has scored 5930 test runs, including 16 test tons and 27 fifty-plus scores. He is also the sixth-highest run-scorer (3251) in the World Test Championship's history, despite playing only 42 matches.
#6 Dimuth Karunaratne | 16
Dimuth Karunaratne has been one of the greatest modern-day batters for Sri Lanka in recent years. The Sri Lankan batter is sixth in our list of active players with most hundreds in test cricket.
The opening batter comes from the same St Joseph's College, which produced players like Angelo Mathews and Thisara Perera. Dimuth debuted for Sri Lanka in tests in 2012 and gradually cemented his place in the team despite a duck in his debut inning.
In 2014, he scored his debut hundred against New Zealand in Christchurch and has scored 15 more in his test career since then. Three years later, he missed his first double ton by four runs when he played an outstanding knock of 196 against Pakistan in Dubai. In 2021, he scored hundreds in three back-to-back test matches, and one of them was a 244 against Bangladesh, his best in test cricket.
Another Sri Lankan in the list of active batters with the most test centuries prove why, despite not being considered a force, they have done well in recent times. Dinesh Chandimal, one of the most underrated cricketers going around, has climbed up in the list with a stunning hundred (116) against New Zealand at Galle.
Chandimal, just like Angelo Mathews, emerged on the scene as one of the best talents in the country and became a mainstay in the middle order after the retirement of the legendary Sangakkara-Jayawardene pair. At 23, he was chosen as the T20I captain and as Mathews' deputy in tests.
In 2013, Dinesh scored back-to-back centuries against Bangladesh and then played an unbeaten 162 against India in 2015 to nearly drag Sri Lanka to a win from an impossible position. His 164 against India in Delhi in 2017 was one of his remarkable innings after leading Sri Lanka to a 2-0 victory against Pakistan, away from home.
However, after that, he could not keep his form, and it wasn't until 2022 that he came back to his best with an unbeaten 206 against Australia at Galle to deny the mighty Aussies a test series win.
Till now, Chandimal has scored 16 test centuries in 88 test matches and looks like a strong candidate to be the first one to reach 20 test centuries among the active Sri Lankan cricketers.
#4. Cheteshwar Pujara | 19
Although he has not been a part of the Indian test team since 2023, Cheteshwar Pujara is still an active test cricketer. The modern wall of Indian cricket, who was among one of the rarest batters in this counterattacking generation to tire the bowlers down and play a whole day of test cricket, without giving it a second thought.
Pujara's temperament was one of the main reasons why he was called up for the national team in 2010. After a very impressive 72 against Australia on debut, it was only a matter of time before Pujara became a mainstay of the Indian team.
Soon, he became the joint-fastest Indian to 1000 Test runs, and quickly he became the new Wall of Indian cricket. Till now, in 103 test matches, Pujara has scored 7195, including 19 centuries.
Recent drop in form has kept in out of the Indian team, but his love for the game has kept him going at the domestic level. Pujara is one of the 13 players in test cricket history to bat in each day of a five-day test match.
Although Pujara has not played a test match for a long time, since he has not retired, he is fourth on our list of active players with most hundreds in test cricket.
Kane Williamson has been the best Kiwi cricketer of the last two decades, and even the great Martin Crowe believed that he would finish as the greatest batter from New Zealand.
Debuted in 2010, Kane scored a ton against India in Ahmedabad and since then, has never had to look back. 24 years and 151 days old, Kane then became the youngest New Zealand cricketer to score 3000 test runs. In 2015, Kane hit his first double ton against Sri Lanka in Wellington and since then has scored five more test double tons.
As a leader, Kane in 2018 became the fourth Kiwi captain to win a test series in England, followed by a first-ever series triumph against Pakistan, away from home.
Williamson, with 9276 test runs, is the player with the most test runs for New Zealand. He also holds the record for most test centuries scored by a Kiwi batter (33). He is also the quickest batter in test history (by innings) to reach 33 test tons.
Moreover, Williamson was also the first-ever Kiwi captain to lead them to an ICC trophy success when he led them to the WTC title in 2021 against India. The former Kiwi captain is also New Zealand's highest run-getter in WTC history with 2822 runs at 61.34 average and 11 test tons.
#2 Steve Smith | 36
After starting as a leg spinner in 2010, Steve Smith's journey to become one of the greatest test batters for Australia is quite remarkable. Despite getting banned for 12 months due to the ball-tampering scandal in 2018, Smith made a great comeback to test cricket and has scored 9 test centuries since 2019.
Smith scored his first century in 2013 against England at the Oval and scored three more in his next six matches. Before he was made the captain in 2015, he was already the No.1 ranked test batter in the world, scoring seven centuries in 17 test matches in 2014-15, including centuries in four consecutive test matches.
In 2017, he scored six test tons, including a double ton in just 11 test matches to win his second ICC Test Cricketer of the Year award second time, after winning it in 2015.
Though in the past few years, bowlers have found some ways to stop him from scoring runs with his unorthodox style, he scored five centuries in 13 innings from July 2022 to June 2023.
In 2024, Smith scored two consecutive test centuries in the Australia vs India Border-Gavaskar Trophy series. With 36 test tons in just 118 tests, he is now the player with the second most hundreds in test cricket among active cricketers.
#1 Joe Root | 39
2021 Test Cricketer of the Year, nominated again in 2023 for the same award, most runs and tons in World Test Championship history, most test runs by any English batter, most test tons by any English batter; these are the few achievements Joe Root made in the last seven years.
The youngest of the "fav four", Root debuted in 2012 on England's tour to India and impressed with a 73 from 229 balls, and everyone saw his ability to stay at the crease and play long.
Five tests later, he scored his first test hundred in England against New Zealand in 2013. Two tests later, he followed that up with a 180 against Australia at Lord's.
Before he was made the captain in 2017, he had already played 53 test matches in five years with a batting average of over 50. 190 in the first inning as test captain, and all knew he would go on to break all the records for England. Root finished 2017 with 1481 for England despite scoring only two tons.
The story continued the same way for him in the following year, as despite scoring lots of fifty-plus scores, Root could score only two test tons as England struggled in tests as a team.
But, everything changed for him in 2021 as he started the year with one century and one double century in the first three tests. Another back-to-back hundred against India at home would mean he would go on to win the 2021 ICC Test Cricketer of the Year Award.
Root that year nearly broke the record of the most test runs scored in a calendar year with 1708 test runs, missing the record by 80 runs.
Since the start of 2022, Root has scored 16 test tons, scoring 4012 test runs at an average of 54.95. In WTC, he is the highest run scorer with6080 runsat an average of 52.86 and 21 centuries.
With 39 test tons, Joe Root is now the player with most hundreds in test cricket among active cricketers.
With his latest century against India at the Oval during the fifth test of the series, Joe Root has now climbed up to no. 4 position in the list of most test centuries in cricket history.
The battle of supremacy in Test centuries has come a long way in cricket history. Some early established test records, defined by batting greatness, are nearly impossible to imagine being surpassed. The record for most test centuries in cricket history is one of them.
This prestigious list consists of legendary batters around the globe who have shaped the golden era of test cricket with their run-scoring consistency and centuries.
Discover the complete list of players with the most test centuries in cricket history and embrace their legacies.
Most Test Centuries in Cricket History
1. Sachin Tendulkar (IND) | 51 centuries
Sachin Tendulkar celebrates his 30th Test century in 2002. Image | ESPNcricinfo
The 'Little Master' Sachin Tendulkar stands right at the top with 51 test centuries in his career, spanning from 1989 to 2013. His career was a saga of brilliance against every bowling attack in every condition.
From being the youngest Indian to score a Test century at the age of 17 years and 109 days in 1990, to ending up having the most test centuries in cricket history, Tendulkar has achieved it all!
He has consistently scored tons, becoming the first and only player to ever cross the fifty-mark in test centuries. These numbers let us believe that maybe some records can never be broken.
Jacques Kallis celebrates his 40th test century in 2011. Image | Mint
The legendary all-rounder, Jacques Kallis, graced the longest format from 1995 to 2013, amassing 45 test centuries. He is the only South African to feature at the top of this list and to have scored more than 30 test centuries.
Apart from personal milestones, his hundreds were often foundational blocks for South Africa's innings in the game. He provided the key balance the team needed, contributing to secure a win or draw.
3. Ricky Ponting (AUS) | 41 centuries
Ricky Ponting celebrates his 40th test century against India in 2012. Image | Pinterest
Ricky Ponting, the former Australian captain, led Australia through a golden era, scoring 41 centuries between 1995 to 2012. Known for his aggressive yet classy style, he thrived especially in big matches, putting the opposition under pressure.
One of the memorable moments in his century collection is the twin centuries during his 100th test match against South Africa in Sydney. This came in 2006, where Ponting scored back-to-back 120 and 142* in two innings.
He is the 3rd batter to go 40+ in the list of most test centuries in cricket history.
He reached his 39th test century against India at the Oval, during the 5th test of their Anderson-Tendulkar series. Root is currently the World's No. 1 in the ICC Test batter rankings, and the only player in the top 5 of this list who has not yet retired.
Root's fiery form is a clear indication of him soaring higher in all charts of test cricket records, setting the standards for generations to come.
Kumar Sangakkara celebrates his first century at the Lord's Cricket Ground in 2014. Image | Sky Sports
The Sri Lankan batting maestro, Kumar Sangakkara, is a perfect example of elegance and power blended together. His ability to score big placed him in the top 5 of most test centuries in cricket history.
Sangakkara scored 38 test centuries from 2000 to 2015. One of his defining moments in his career was his 287 runs against South Africa in 2006. This knock was a part of the record-breaking partnership of 624 runs with his teammate, Mahela Jayawardene.
Most Test Centuries in Cricket History (TOP 20)
3️⃣8️⃣
Joe Root scores his 38th test ton, equalling Kumar Sangakkara's record. 💯
He now has the 4th most centuries in test cricket history.
Here's the tabular breakdown of the Top 20 players having the most test centuries in cricket history, featuring 6 players from Australia, 4 from India, and several other cricketing nations.
Rank
Player
Country
Test centuries
1
Sachin Tendulkar
India
51
2
Jacques Kallis
South Africa
45
3
Ricky Ponting
Australia
41
4
Joe Root
England
39
5
Kumar Sangakkara
Sri Lanka
38
6
Steve Smith
Australia
36
7
Rahul Dravid
India
36
8
Younis Khan
Pakistan
34
9
Sunil Gavaskar
India
34
10
Brian Lara
West Indies
34
11
Mahela Jayawardene
Sri Lanka
34
12
Kane Williamson
New Zealand
33
13
Alastair Cook
England
33
14
Steve Waugh
Australia
32
15
Matthew Hayden
Australia
30
16
Virat Kohli
India
30
17
Shivnarine Chanderpaul
West Indies
30
18
Dom Bradman
Australia
29
19
Michael Clarke
Australia
28
20
Hashim Amla
South Africa
28
Note: Article was first written by Snighda Halder on 26th July, 2025 and later got updated by the editorial team.
ENG vs IND 5th Test Preview | Head-to-head stats, Possible XI, streaming details
India need to win the Oval Test in order to share the trophy. Here is everything you need to know before the ENG vs IND fourth test match at Old Trafford, Manchester.
Team India will play the fifth and final Test match against England at Kennington Oval in London, which starts on July 31. If India has to level the series, then it is important for them to win this match. So far, England is leading 2-1 in this 5 match Test series. They won the first and third Tests while Team India won the second Test. The fourth Test match between the two was a draw.
In the final match, India will aim to replicate their Edgbaston’s performance to beat the hosts and for that, they will have to form a formidable playing XI against the English side.
Prior to the massive game, here is everything you need to know before the ENG vs IND fifth test match at Kennington, Oval in London.
The ENG vs IND 5th Test will be streamed live on the JioHotstar app and website.
The viewers can watch the India vs England 5th Test live telecast on the Sony Sports Network.
ENG vs IND: Head-to-head stats
Matches played
140
England won
53
India won
36
Drawn
51
Pitch Report: Kennington Oval
The ugly verbal spat between India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir and Oval’s pitch curator has been the major talking point ahead of the fifth Test. Keeping that aside, the pitch matchday minus day two looked quite greenish. However, the groundsman will cut some grass on the eve of the clash.
This means the pacers will do the talking, especially with the brand new red Dukes cherry. This domestic season, seamers have ruled the roost as well, having picked up 131 of the 150 wickets that have fell in 5 games.
Moreover, since 2019, the average score has been less than 300 across all the four innings in Tests at Kennington Oval. This all sums up that we might have a low-scoring affair, favouring seamers.
Weather Report
The weather prediction for London on Day 1 is for partly overcast conditions with a few afternoon showers. A full day of play is anticipated on Day 2, which is predicted to be sunny.
The third day will be lovely and transparent. There will probably be rainy periods on Day 4. Long stretches of sunlight on Day 5 will allow for another full day of recreation.
England:Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Chris Woakes, Liam Dawson, Jamie Overton, Jofra Archer/Gus Atkinson.
India: KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh.
ICC Rankings: Abhishek Sharma becomes No.1 T20I batter, Gill and Hardik at top in ODI, Bumrah in tests
As per the latest ICC rankings, India's Abhishek Sharma clinched the No.1 ranking in the T20I batting ladder. Meantime, Shubman Gill continued to be ICC No. 1-ranked ODI batter. On the other hand, Jasprit Bumrah strengthened his position at the top of the ICC Men's Test Bowling rankings.
As per the latest ICC rankings, India's Abhishek Sharma clinched the No.1 ranking in the T20I batting ladder. Meantime, Shubman Gill continued to be ICC No. 1-ranked ODI batter. On the other hand, Jasprit Bumrah strengthened his position at the top of the ICC Men's Test Bowling rankings.
Hardik Pandya continued to be No.1 all-rounder in T20Is while Ravindra Jadeja achieved his career-best 29th ranking in ICC Test Batting ladderboard. With his 150 in Manchester, Joe Root stabilised his position at the top of the ICC Men's Test Batting rankings.
The final match of the ENG vs IND Test series will be played at Kennington Oval, London. Before the start of the match, let's take a look at India’s Test records at Kennington Oval, London.
The Anderson-Tendulkar series between India and England has now reached an exciting stage. Four matches of this five-match series have been completed so far. England is leading the series 2-1.
The final match of this exciting series will be played at Kennington Oval, London. Victory is a must for Team India in this final and decisive Test match to be held from July 31. However, the record of the Indian team on this ground has been worrying, due to which the match is expected to be even more challenging. Team India faces the difficult challenge of defeating England in the last Test and ending the series on a draw.
India has played a total of 15 Test matches at Kennington, Oval so far. Out of which 14 matches have been played between India and England, while one match was the final of the World Test Championship between India and Australia.
In these matches, India has won only twice, while it has faced defeat six times. The remaining seven matches have ended in a draw. These figures show that this ground has not been easy for India.
India played its first Test match on this ground in August 1936, in which it lost to England by 9 wickets. After this, the matches held in 1946 and 1952 were drawn, but in 1959 India had to face a crushing defeat by an innings and 27 runs.
India got its first victory at the Oval in the year 1971. This victory is counted among the golden moments of Indian cricket history. Under the captaincy of Ajit Wadekar, India defeated England by 4 wickets and registered its first big Test victory abroad. This victory proved to be a milestone for Indian cricket at that time.
A long string of defeats
From 1979 to 2007, India played five Test matches here, all of which were draws. India struggled during these years, but victory remained elusive. After this, a series of defeats started in 2011, when England defeated India by an innings and 8 runs. In 2014, India again lost by an innings and 244 runs, which was one of its biggest defeats at that time. In 2018 also, India had to face defeat by 118 runs.
Historic victory of 2021
However, in 2021, India performed its best at the Oval and defeated England by 157 runs. This victory was the biggest victory ever for Team India on this ground. In that match, both the bowlers and the batsmen performed brilliantly, which gave new energy to India's confidence.
WTC Final disappointment
In July 2023, India played the final of the World Test Championship (WTC) against Australia at the Oval. However, in this title match, India had to face defeat by 209 runs and another disappointing record was added to the Oval.
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