Every cricketer visualises playing Test Cricket for his/her nation. While for a bowler, the dream would be to pick a ten-wicket haul in a Test game, for the batsmen, a Test century will always be memorable. Each slot in Test XI has a purpose, and hence, it is interesting to see the players with the most Test centuries at each batting position.
The Indian Cricket Team is a squad with an exceptional pedigree in the longest format of the game. On repetitious occurrences throughout history, Team India has proved to be the best Test-playing nation on the globe. In this article, we take a glance at the players with the most Test centuries at each batting position for India.
Opening Position (No. 1& No.2) – Sunil Gavaskar, 33 Centuries
Sunil Gavaskar is arguably the best Test opener that the game has seen. Of the 34 centuries that he accumulated in his career, 33 of them came in the opening position. This role is the toughest in the batting department, as the ball is new and the bowlers are fresh. Not only for India, but Gavaskar also holds this record overall.
No.3 – Rahul Dravid, 28 Centuries
There was a time when the No.3 in an Indian batting line-up was synonymous with Rahul Dravid. Hence, he occupies the spot at this position in the list of most test centuries at each batting position for Team India. The Karnataka player has scored 28 centuries in this slot.
No.4 – Sachin Tendulkar, 44 Centuries
No.4 is an important position in Test XI. The batsman must pace his innings as per the game situation in hand. Sachin Tendulkar scored 44 centuries while operating at this slot. This record is the highest in the history of the game. The Master Blaster played 275 innings in the position to get his 44 centuries.
No.5 – M Azharuddin, 16 Centuries
While many remember M Azharuddin as a top limited-overs batsman, not many recognize his skills in the five-day format. At No.5, the Hyderabadi cricketer has accumulated 16 centuries, the highest for Team India. In fact, at this position, the former Indian captain scored a total of 6754 runs.
No.6 – Ravi Shastri and VVS Laxman, 5 Centuries
When it comes to the No.6 position, not many Indians have been able to score centuries frequently. At the top of the list, we have Ravi Shastri, who scored five centuries while batting at No.6. VVS Laxman has also scored five centuries, in fact, at a higher average. While Ravi’s average hovered around 35, VVS scored runs at an average of 50 in this position.
No.7 – Kapil Dev, 5 Centuries
Not many cricketers have been as successful as Kapil Dev in the No.7 position for Team India. Hence, it is of no surprise that leads the list at this slot. In the 98 innings that he played in this position, the World Cup-winning captain scored five centuries at an average of 31.10. Most of these knocks came at a higher strike rate, too.
No.8 – R Ashwin, 3 Centuries
R Ashwin has scored five centuries so far, out of which three have come while batting at the No.8 position. It is a terrific achievement considering Ashwin has also contributed heavily with the ball over the years. Daniel Vettori leads the list with four centuries, and by the end of Ashwin’s career, we could see him at the top of the chart.
No.9, 10 & 11 – No Indian Centurians
No Indian has scored a century while batting at No.9, 10 and 11. At No.9, Shaun Pollock has made two centuries and holds the record for most hundreds at this position. With one century, RA Duff, from Australia, holds the record for the No.10 slot. So far, no cricketer has scored a Test century while batting at No.11.
