England have now become one of the strongest teams in World Cricket. In the white-ball format, they are sitting in the 5th position right now. This team holds the three highest ODI totals in the history of the game. But this didn't happen in a single night. After a horrible performance in the 2015 ODI World Cup, England changed their playing approach. That changed the whole system of the England Cricket Team. The world saw how good they have become, and that is the reason they won their maiden world title in the very next ODI World Cup at home in 2019. The Batsmen have dominated in recent times for England. In this article, we will check the list of the highest individual scores for England in ODI cricket.

Read Also: ICC World Cup 2023: Full squad of every team

List of Highest Individual Scores in ODI for England (Top Five):

5. Jos Buttler | 162* vs Netherlands

England broke their own world record for the highest score in ODI cricket after crunching 498-4 to beat the Netherlands by 232 runs in a run-fest in Amstelveen. Buttler scored England's second-fastest ODI hundred, from 47 balls, with that behind only the 46-ball century he had struck against Pakistan in Dubai in 2015. Buttler's 150 was reached from 65 deliveries, the second-fastest in history, only trumped by AB de Villiers' 64-ball effort for South Africa against West Indies. He led England to their highest score in the White ball Cricket.

4. Robin Smith | 167* vs Australia

The fourth-highest individual score for England came on a losing match in 1993. It was the second ODI match between Australia and England at Birmingham in the three-match series. England lost the first three wickets for just 55 runs. Robin Smith helped his team reach 277/5 runs in 50 overs.

He went on to score the highest ever score by an English man, which remained on top for 23 years. He made an unbeaten 167* runs off 163 balls, with 17 fours and three maximums. England couldn't defend the target as Australia made 280/4 in 53.5 overs (it was a 55-over match).

3. Alex Hales | 171 vs Pakistan

Alex Hales topped the chart in 2016 after breaking Robin Smith's record. It was the third game of the three-match ODI series at Nottingham. England lost their first wicket early but after that, they had two big partnerships, which led England to register the third-highest score ever in an ODI. The English team made 444/3 in their 50 overs.

The big inning came from the bat of Alex Hales. He smashed 171 runs off 122 balls with 22 fours and four sixes to register the highest score by an Englishman at that time. In reply, Pakistan were bowled out for 275 runs.

2. Jason Roy | 180 vs Australia

Alex Hales remained at the top for two years only as Jason Roy went on to become the highest individual scorer for England in 2018 against Australia. It was the first game of the five-match series. Australia scored 304/8 runs in their 50 overs. England chased it down in 48.4 overs and made 308/5 to win by five wickets. Roy hit a huge century and registered the highest individual score for his country. He made 180 runs off 151 balls with 16 fours and 5 maximums.

1. Ben Stokes | 182 vs New Zealand

The Test captain beat the previous best of 180 made by Jason Roy against Australia in Melbourne in 2018. Stokes just came out of a one-day retirement to play in this series and the World Cup in India in October and November. In his third match back, he played a brilliant inning that helped England to 368 all out and put them on course to take a 2-1 lead in the four-match series. Stokes came into bat when England were in trouble at 13-2. He smashed nine sixes and 15 fours in his 124-balls to help England reach that huge total.

Read Also: ICC ODI rankings: India, Pakistan or Australia? Who will finish as No.1 ranked team before the World Cup?

List of Highest Individual Scores in ODI for England (Top Ten):

The Indian cricket team will tour England to play a five-match Test series against England from June 20, 2025. The first match of the England vs India Test series will be played at Headingley Stadium, Leeds.

The Test cricket battle between India and England has always been exciting and challenging, especially when the match is played on English soil. The Indian team has played a total of 67 Test matches in England from 1932 to 2022. India's record in these matches has not been so strong. India has won only 9 times, while the English team has defeated the Indians in 36 matches. The remaining 22 matches have been drawn, which tells the story of this historic struggle and how hard the Indian team has to work to win on English soil.

Also Read: England vs India Test Series: Here is India's overall test record against England in England

In this article, we will take a look at those 9 test matches that India won on English soil.

England vs India Test series: 9 test matches India won so far on English soil

1. By 4 Wickets (1971)

India has tamed the British cricket lion in its own den for the first time in 1971. It was a historic day when India beat England in the third and final Test by four wickets with 205 minutes to spare at the Kennington Oval, to clinch the series 1-0.

The victory established at least three firsts. This was the first time India won a Test in England. It was the first time in, 28 Tests since June 1968 that England was defeated and it was also the first time that India triumphed in two series in one year, having defeated the West Indies earlier.

2. By 5 Wickets (1986)

The 1986 win at Lord’s was India’s first at the iconic venue. Under the leadership of Legendary Kapil Dev, Team India went on to win at Headingley. This win also paved the way for Team India to win the historic Test series on English-soil.

In the first Test of the series, India bowled England out for 294 and replied with 341, with Dilip Vengsarkar scoring a superb 126*. Kapil Dev’s all-round performance and Chetan Sharma’s five-wicket haul in the second innings helped India dismiss England for 180. Needing just 134 to win, India achieved the target with 5 wickets to spare, scripting a historic triumph at the "Home of Cricket."

3. By 279 Runs (1986)

The Indian team carried the momentum into the second Test at Leeds where the bowling attack completely blew away England with the visitors winning by 279 runs inside 4 days. Roger Binny took 7 wickets in the match including a five-wicket haul in the first innings and was ably supported by Kapil (3 wickets), Madan Lal (3 wickets) and Maninder Singh (4 wickets).

4. By an innings and 46 Runs (2002)

India's first Test victory in England in the new millennium took place in 2002 when Sourav Ganguly's team thrashed the hosts by an innings and 46 runs in the third Test at Leeds to level the four-match series 1-1.

India crossed the 600-run barrier for the first time against England as Sachin Tendulkar (193), Rahul Dravid (148) and Sourav Ganguly (128) ripped apart the English bowling attack to declare the first innings on 628 for 8. The bowlers then led India to victory with Anil Kumble leading the way with 7 wickets in the match while Harbhajan Singh (4), Zaheer Khan (3) and Ajit Agarkar (2) played the supporting roles. England had won the first match at Lord's while the second and fourth match ended in draws as Ganguly and Nasser Hussain shared the trophy.

5. By 7 Wickets (2007)

Five years after the Leeds victory India repeated history by claiming the series 1-0 under Rahul Dravid by winning the second Test at Nottingham. India took a massive 283-run first innings lead after bowling out the hosts for 198 with Zaheer Khan (4) and Anil Kumble (3) leading the wickets tally.

Captain Michael Vaughan's hundred in the second innings couldn't save England's batting collapse as they got bowled out for 355 thanks to some brilliant bowling by a fired-up Zaheer, who took a five-wicket haul after the jellybean prank which England had played on him during India's first innings.

This meant that India needed just 73 runs to win which they chased down in 24.1 overs with 7 wickets in hand and took a 1-0 lead in the 3-match series. The third Test at The Oval ended in a draw as Sourav Ganguly lifted the Pataudi Trophy, named in honour of former India captain Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi.

6. By 95 Runs (2014)

MS Dhoni led the Indian team in a five-match Test series and delivered the first blow on the hosts by winning at Lord's for the first time after 1986.

The first Test ended in a draw at Nottingham following which the teams locked horns on a green top at Lord's. Ajinkya Rahane scored one of the greatest hundreds in Indian Test history as he negotiated prodigious swing and seam movement against the likes of James Anderson and Stuart Broad.

Such was Rahane's class that none of the other batsmen managed to score over 36 runs, which was the next best score coming from Bhuvneshwar Kumar. India made 295 and then conceded a first innings lead of 24 runs with Gary Ballance scoring a century. Bhuvneshwar took a six-wicket haul as England made 319.

Murali Vijay (95), Ravindra Jadeja (68) and Bhuvneshwar (52) then rose to the occasion with the bat in the second innings to help India set a target of 319 for the hosts. Ishant Sharma then produced one of the most memorable spells by an Indian bowler on English soil and picked up a record 7 wickets in the process as India bowled out England for 223 and registered a historic win at the Mecca of cricket.

7. By 203 Runs (2018)

As team India took the field in Nottingham, Kohli and his men were determined to make amends and they did it in style. After being put in to bat by Root, India were off to a commendable start thanks to KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan and after they departed, Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane put on a 189-run stand for the fourth wicket to take India to a commendable position. Rahane scored 81 and Kohli missed his century by three runs as he fell for 97. India were eventually bowled out for 329 but the stage was set for India to make a comeback in the series.

The bowlers didn't' disappoint as well. Led by Hardik Pandya, India rocked England and bowled them out for a paltry total of 161. Pandya answered his critics in style as he grabbed his maiden five-wicket haul in Tests.

With a lead of 168, India were again provided a solid start by their openers and after they fell, Cheteshwar Pujara and Kohli led the charge as they planned to bat England out of the game. Pujara fell for a gritty 72 but Kohli scored his 23rd Test century and it was followed by a run-a-ball 52 from Pandya as the visitors declared for 352/7, with a lead of 520.

Chasing 521 to win, the England openers somehow managed to play out the nine overs on day four but the nervousness and fear was there in their mammoth chase. Bumrah got the wickets of Buttler and Woakes early and then Pandya got the wicket of Stokes to get England eight down. And finally Ashwin got the wicket of Anderson to earn a 203-run victory for the visitors

8. By 151 Runs (2021)

In one of the most dramatic finishes in recent memory, India defeated England by 151 runs at Lord’s in the second Test of the 2021 series. After setting a target of 272 thanks to a stunning 89-run partnership between Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah, India’s bowlers went on the attack.

Led by Mohammed Siraj (4/32), India bowled England out for 120 in just 51.5 overs. The aggressive attitude under Virat Kohli’s captaincy and India’s never-say-die spirit made this a modern classic.

9. By 157 Runs (2021)

India secured a famous win at The Oval in the fourth Test of the 2021 series. Rohit Sharma scored his first overseas Test hundred (127), anchoring a solid second-innings effort.

Shardul Thakur played two impactful cameos with bat and ball, while the pace trio of Bumrah, Siraj, and Umesh Yadav dismantled England in the fourth innings. India won by 157 runs and took a 2-1 lead in the series, reaffirming their dominance on English soil.

The Indian team has reached England, where an unofficial Test match is currently being played between India-A and the senior team. After this, England vs India Test series begin will start from June 20. Youngstar Shubman Gill will be seen captaining the Indian Test team for the first time. India has not won a Test series on England soil since 2007. In such a situation, under his captaincy, Team India will be eyeing to win the series.

Also Read: 6 cricketers who announced their retirements since last month

India's record in Tests in England has not been good and they have won only 9 Test matches. Here is India's overall test record against England in England.

India has a poor record in Tests on English soil

Team India has played a total of 69 Test matches on English soil so far, out of which the team has won 9 and lost 38. Apart from this, 22 matches have been drawn. Looking at the records, it can be said that India has always had to struggle to win Test matches in England.

England vs India Test Series: India's record in England

India has only won three-Test series against England away from home. The Men in Blue have an unwanted record against England in England. They won their first-ever test match, and subsequently, the series, in 1971 - at the seventh time of asking. Their first win also came after suffering 15 Test defeats in England. 

Last won series under Dravid's captaincy

India won the Test series on England soil in 2007 under the captaincy of Rahul Dravid. Since then, in 2011, 2014 and 2018, the Indian team had to face defeat in the Test series on the tour of England. Whereas the series played in the year 2021-22 was drawn 2-2.

In the year 2007, a three-Test match series was held between India and England, in which the first and last matches of the series were drawn. In the second Test match, India won by 7 wickets and in this match, Zaheer Khan proved to be the biggest hero for the team. He took a total of 9 wickets. It was because of him that India was successful in winning the Test series 1-0.

Also Read: Most 5-wicket hauls by a captain in Tests

India Vs England Test Series: Full Schedule

The International Cricket Council (ICC) conducts different cricket events and tournaments throughout the year. ICC tournaments are the biggest platforms in the game of cricket, where the top teams contest against each other for championship podiums.

Contributing to the team on a big stage like this will always be remembered for a long time. The ODI World Cup is conducted once every four years, whereas the Men's T20 World Cup is played every two years. The ICC Champions Trophy is where only the top 8 teams compete in each finals tournament.

Last but not least, the World Test Championship is played over two years. This article thoroughly talks about the men's cricketing teams that have won ICC trophies at some point in time. Let's take a look at the teams with the most ICC Trophies.

Read Also: Rohit Sharma in ICC knockout games

Australia | 10

Australia's sheer dominance over other cricketing teams is nothing new. For decades, Australia has been executing out-of-ordinary performances and winning trophies for the country. Out of all the cricketing countries, Australia has the most ICC trophies.

Till now the Aussies won 10 ICC trophies. Australia is the only team to win 6 ICC World Cups. The most successful team in the Cricket World Cup clinched the trophy in 1987, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2015, and 2023. Interestingly Australia made a record of being the only team to win the trophy in all the countries that hosted the World Cup.

Australia won the ICC Champions Trophy twice in 2006 and 2009 against West Indies and New Zealand respectively. Lastly, Australia lifted their first-ever ICC T20 World Cup trophy after defeating New Zealand in the 2021 T20 World Cup. They claimed the ICC World Test Championship after defeating India at the Oval by a huge margin of 209 runs.

Read also: Top 8 Wicket-takers of T20 World Cup 2021

India | 7

India sits in the second position on this prestigious list of most ICC Trophies by any team. India won their first-ever ICC World Cup in 1983 under the captaincy of Kapil Dev. Later again 28 years, the men in blue won the World Cup for the second time under the captaincy of Mahendra Singh Dhoni in 2011.

The Indian men's cricket team also reached the semifinals four times in 1987, 1996, 2015, and 2019. Meantime, they lost in two finals in 2003 and 2023.

The men in blue won the Champions Trophy thrice. First, in 2002, both the finalists India and Sri Lanka were declared the co-champions of the 2002 Champions Trophy. In the 2013 edition, India defeated England by 5 runs and won the Champions Trophy for the second time in Birmingham. Their latest triumph came via Champions Trophy 2025, as they defeated New Zealand by four wickets in Dubai in the final.

Lastly, India won the inaugural edition of the ICC T20 World Cup in 2007 after defeating Pakistan in Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg. In the 2024 T20 World Cup, India defeated  South Africa by 7 runs to lift the trophy for the second time.

Read also: India's performance in every ICC tournament

West Indies | 5

Read also: T20 World Cup 2021: Man of the Series, highest wicket-taker, and highest run-getter

Next on this list is West Indies with a total of 5 ICC trophies. The first-ever ICC World Cup final was won by West Indies in 1975. West Indies once again continued their reign in the next edition of the World Cup as well, in 1979. The Caribbean team also won the Champions Trophy in 2004. Lastly, West Indies became the winner of the ICC T20 World Cup twice; once against Sri Lanka in 2012 and the other time against England in 2016.

England | 3

Till 2010, the England team has not had any ICC Tournament. But, it was in 2010, when they won their first ICC T20 World Cup against arch-rival Australia. Craig Kieswetter guided them home in the final for their first-ever ICC Trophy. Post that, they have been a phenomenal white-ball team and won two ICC World Cups since then.

In 2019, they won their first ICC Men's ODI World Cup as Ben Stokes made all the difference in the final against England in a match where boundary count helped England to win the World Cup.

England's latest ICC Trophy triumph came under Jos Buttler as they became the first-ever team in Cricket history to hold the ODI and T20 World Cup at the same time. Jos Buttler and company won the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2022 as Sam Curran won the player of the tournament after taking 13 wickets with the ball. Curran also was the player of the match in the final as well.

Pakistan | 3

Pakistan sits in the fourth position on the list of most ICC Trophy wins by any team with 3 ICC trophies. The first-ever ICC trophy won by Pakistan was during the 1992 cricket World Cup. Pakistan defeated England in the final and won by 22 runs.

The next ICC trophy won by Pakistan was in the 2009 T20 World Cup where they beat Sri Lanka in the final and won the title by 8 wickets. The most recent and last ICC win of Pakistan is the 2017 Champions Trophy where they defeated India by 180 runs.

Read also: "No one is more disappointed than me": Hasan Ali after T20 World Cup 2021 exit

Sri Lanka | 3

Read also: ICC Hall of fame: Shaun Pollock, Mahela Jayawardene and Janette Britti get inducted

With 3 ICC trophies, Sri Lanka sits in 5th position on this list. Sri Lanka won their first-ever ICC World Cup in 1996 where they played against Australia in the final hosted in Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore. They went ahead to win their next ICC trophy in the 2002 Champions Trophy. The winner of the tournament is actually both India and Sri Lanka as both the finalist teams were declared as co-champions.

The last time Sri Lanka won an ICC Trophy was when they defeated India in the 2014 T20 World Cup hosted in Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium Dhaka.

New Zealand | 2

The New Zealand cricket team has won a total of 2 ICC trophies since they started competing in tournaments conducted by ICC. The Kiwis won their first-ever ICC Trophy in the 2000 Champions Trophy. Nairobi hosted the final of New Zealand vs India where New Zealand won the match by 4 wickets.

The next ICC Trophy won by the Kiwis was the ICC World Test Championship. Once again, New Zealand played against India in the final of an ICC event and clinched the trophy in the inaugural edition of the World Test Championship final.

Read also: Winners list of last 10 ICC Tournaments

South Africa | 2

South Africa have broken the jinx and finally won an ICC trophy after 27 years, only their second ICC title after beating Australia by five wickets at the iconic Lord's Cricket Ground to become World Test champions. Chasing 282 runs to win, Aiden Markram registered his eighth Test century and played one of the most important knocks of his career with 136 runs to guide the Proteas to a historic win.

Meanwhile, in the 1998 ICC Champions Trophy hosted in Bangladesh, South Africa beat West Indies in the final to win their first ICC title. Jacques Kallis was exceptional and contributed the most to the team reaching and winning the final and was awarded the player of the tournament. He hit a century and picked up a five-wicket haul as well.

Note: The stats include shared trophies. The article was first written by Shreya Ghosh and then got edited by Abishek Goswami.

Indian cricket team head coach Gautam Gambhir has suddenly returned to India, citing a family emergency as the reason. A BCCI source has given this information to news agency PTI.

The source said that Gambhir had to return to take care of his mother, who has been admitted to a hospital in New Delhi due to health complications. The Shubman Gill-led Indian Test team is in England to play a five-match IND vs ENG series, starting June 20 in Leeds.

Also Read: Exclusive: Advised by Sourav Ganguly, Abishek Porel gets coached by Yuvraj Singh; this is what he learned

Doeschate will look after the team for now

In Gambhir's absence, assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate will oversee the team during the four-day intra-squad match between India and India A starting from Friday. He will be assisted by other coaching staff like bowling coach Morne Morkel and batting coach Shitanshu Kotak. If all goes well at home, Gambhir is expected to return to England within a week.

Indian team would like to test its preparations

The Indian team will play intra-squad matches to finalise its preparations ahead of the IND vs ENG five-match Test series. India A played two unofficial Test matches against England Lions and the batsmen showed their prowess in them. Such matches are important for the preparation of the team before any series. India has opted to play this match in an empty stadium so that the opposing team does not get a clue of their strategy.

All eyes will be on Kuldeep-Jadeja

In this match, the performance of Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja will be watched and an interesting competition is expected between these two to make a place in the final eleven of the Indian Test team.

India's bowling coach Morne Morkel had said on Wednesday that the match is crucial for India's preparation as it is difficult to develop the ability to bowl and field 90 overs in a day through normal practice sessions. This match will give the Indian team management a good opportunity to assess its players, especially the bowlers, in match situations.

Also Read: Ellyse Perry predicts the winner of WTC 2025

This will help ensure that the bowlers, be it spinners or pacers, are in the required rhythm in the actual match. Gambhir will have to do some brainstorming to pick the only specialist spinner for Headingley.

Jadeja has a good batting record abroad but if India has to take 20 wickets then Kuldeep's role will become important. Kuldeep can prove to be a good partner of fast bowler Jaspreet Bumrah in the conditions here. Jadeja vs Kuldeep is the biggest puzzle for the playing XI that the team management will have to solve.

Eyes will be on fast bowlers as well

Similarly, this match will give the team management and captain Shubman Gill a chance to see which ball works better in these conditions - Akash Deep's full length or Prasidh Krishna's back of the length. Bumrah, who will be playing a red ball match after six months, will get a chance to bowl multiple spells and test his fitness. He has played only IPL since returning from a lower back injury.

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 most hundreds in test cricket.

Players with most Test centuries in cricket history

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 test centuries in world cricket. In fact, his record of 100 international tons might not get broken ever in cricket history. 

Before Sachin broke into the scene, there was Sir Don Bradman, who had retired as the batter with 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 105 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

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, 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 1210 runs 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 fifth-highest run-scorer (3165) in the World Test Championship's history, despite playing only 39 matches. 

#6 Dimuth Karunaratne | 16

Dimuth Karunaratne has been one of the greatest modern-day batters for Sri Lanka in recent years. 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. 

Dimuth is the highest run-getter for Sri Lanka in the World Test Championship with 2642 runs in 35 test matches so far. He has scored 6 tons in WTC history as well.

#5 Dinesh Chandimal | 16

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.

Read Also | Most Runs in WTC 2023-25 

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. 

Read Also: Most runs vs England in England for India in tests

#3 Kane Willamson | 33

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.

Read Also | Most international runs in Cricket history

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 116 tests, he is now the active batter with the joint-most test tons.

#1 Joe Root | 36

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.

Read Also | Joe Root vs Sachin Tendulkar: Who is ahead after 145 Test matches? Full analysis 

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 13 test tons, scoring 3475 runs at an average of 53.46. In WTC, he is the highest run scorer with 5543 runs, with a record 18 centuries.