For a batter to cement their place in a team, they need to focus on three things: runs, runs, and runs. They have to score as many runs as possible while batting from a particular position.
And to do so in Test cricket is another challenge. Bowlers, conditions, patience – all test them to the core.
Now they may be batting from their natural position or forced to bat from a certain slot; they need to adapt to the conditions quickly and make that slot their own while accumulating loads of runs.
Four batters did that with finesse and scored 10000-plus runs from their favourite batting positions in Test cricket.
In this piece, we’ll discover these batters and their mighty feats in Test cricket.
Alastair Cook (England): 11845 Runs as Opener
Alastair Cook is an England legend, with his Test career spanning 12 years. For the better part of his career, Cook opened the innings for England.
He received his Test call-up for the 2006 India tour as an injury replacement. And the left-hander showed his mettle in his debut Test, scoring 60 in the first innings and topping it with an unbeaten 104.
Cook’s returns on debut helped him claim the opening spot, and he went on to play a decisive role in England’s success. He amassed 11845 runs in 154 matches (278 innings), which is the most by any opener in Tests.
In fact, there’s no other opener who has scored more than 10000 runs from that challenging position. Cook even clears the second-best Sunil Gavaskar by more than 2200 runs.
The former England captain averaged 44.86 while smashing 31 centuries and 55 fifties. He bowed out of Test cricket with a 147-run knock, placing him among the few batters who scored centuries in his debut and last Tests.
Cook was England’s highest Test run-scorer and century-maker before Joe Root bettered his tally in October 2024.
Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka): 11679 Runs as No. 3 Batter
Once the openers are gone, the No. 3 and No. 4 batters come into the line of fire. They have the task of keeping the scorecard ticking while providing much-needed stability.
Kumar Sangakkara did that for Sri Lanka for 15 long years in red-ball cricket. And he showed a glimpse of it in the 2006 Colombo Test against South Africa.
Sangakkara came to bat on the 10th ball of Sri Lanka’s first innings after losing Sanath Jayasuriya on the score of six runs. Upul Tharanga, the other opener, was also back in the hut after two overs. Then Sanga went on to stitch a 624-run stand with Mahela Jayawardene for the third wicket.
That’s enough to show his mettle as a No. 3 batter. The former Sri Lankan skipper scored 11679 runs in 125 matches (205 innings) at No. 3, the most at that position.
Sangakkara laced his run tally with 37 hundreds and 50 half-centuries while averaging 60.82. He replicated his success in ODIs as well but fell short of 10000 runs by 253 runs.
Rahul Dravid (India): 10524 Runs as No. 3 Batter
The only other No. 3 batter to amass 10000-plus runs is Rahul Dravid. He doesn’t need any special introduction, does he?
He was a class apart, with an exceptional patience level to play longer innings. There are quite a few batters like Dravid who could block the ball for hours while tiring out the opponent’s bowling attacks.
He was ‘The Wall’ in a true sense for India, standing firm on the crease for longer durations, be it at home or in overseas territory. He made the foundation stronger with his sheer determination and concentration.
Dravid started his Test career batting at No. 7 in his debut match. But it wasn’t long before he dropped his anchor at No. 3.
The Karnataka batter amassed 10524 runs out of his 13288 while batting one down. He also struck 28 tons and 50 half-centuries while maintaining an average of 52.88 in 136 Tests (219 innings).
Sachin Tendulkar (India): 13492 Runs as No. 4 Batter
Sachin Tendulkar was the first batter to accumulate 10000-plus Test runs from a particular batting position. He topped the Test run charts with 15921 runs, of which approximately 85 percent of runs came as a No. 4 batter.
Tendulkar was a proper tactician, armed with textbook shots and a near-perfect batting technique. He was one of his kind who mastered all conditions to score plenty of runs.
The Master Blaster was the link between India’s upper and middle order, often rising to the occasion and pulling the team out of trouble. If there was an early collapse, fans would hope Tendulkar would stabilise the ship, and he would just do that day in, day out.
Thanks to his top-level batsmanship, Tendulkar created a place for himself at the No. 4 slot. He batted one last time in that position in his final Test, scoring 74 against the West Indies.
Tendulkar scored 13492 runs in 179 Tests (275 innings) at No. 4. His tally also included 44 centuries and 58 fifties while averaging 54.40.
The right-hand batter is also one of the five batters who achieved this feat in ODIs. He accrued 15310 runs as an opener in the 50-over format.
Final Words
Scoring 10000-plus runs in Test cricket is no mean feat. And these four batters were simply excellent against the red ball, scoring those many runs while batting in their favourite slot. It will be interesting to see if any modern-day great joins them on this list.
