India is a prosperous land known for producing some of the best batters in the cricketing world. The Indian batters have excelled at scoring bagful of runs with their grit and skills.
Over time, as the batters don the whites for India, they develop a fondness for taking on formidable opponents. That translates into a penchant for accumulating runs against the opponent in a bilateral series.
This article will list the top 10 instances of Indian batters with the most runs in a Test series.
Most Runs in a Test Series for India
| Player | Innings | Runs | Avg | High Score | Test Series |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunil Gavaskar | 8 | 774 | 154.80 | 220 | West Indies vs India, 1971 |
| Shubman Gill | 10 | 754 | 75.40 | 269 | England vs India, 2025 |
| Sunil Gavaskar | 9 | 732 | 91.50 | 205 | India vs West Indies, 1978/79 |
| Yashasvi Jaiswal | 9 | 712 | 89.00 | 214* | India vs England, 2024 |
| Virat Kohli | 8 | 692 | 86.50 | 169 | Australia vs India, 2014/15 |
| Virat Kohli | 8 | 655 | 109.16 | 235 | India vs England, 2016 |
| Dilip Sardesai | 8 | 642 | 80.25 | 212 | West Indies vs India, 1971 |
| Rahul Dravid | 8 | 619 | 123.80 | 233 | Australia vs India, 2003/04 |
| Virat Kohli | 5 | 610 | 152.50 | 243 | India vs Sri Lanka, 2017 |
| Rahul Dravid | 6 | 602 | 100.33 | 217 | England vs India, 2002 |
Explore “Bilateral Cricket Series” Records
Most Runs in a Bilateral Test Series
Most Runs in a 2-Match Test Series
Most Runs in a 3-Match Test Series
Most Runs in a 4-Match Test Series
Most Runs in a 5-Match Test Series
Most Wickets in a Bilateral Test Series
Most Sixes in a Bilateral Test Series
Most Sixes by a Team in a Bilateral Test Series
Most 5-Wicket Hauls in a Bilateral Test Series
Indian Batters with Most Runs in a Bilateral Test Series
Most Runs in a Bilateral ODI Series
Key Insights
Only 2 Indian batters have breached the landmark of 700+ runs in a bilateral Test series. Renowned batter Sunil Gavaskar did so twice, both against the West Indies, and a young Yashasvi Jaiswal accomplished it against England.
Gavaskar’s 774 runs are the most by any batter in a debut Test series. He showcased his mettle against the West Indies on the 1971 Caribbean tour. With that, Gavaskar became the first-ever batter to amass 700+ runs in a Test series for India.
4 centuries each, notched up by Sunil Gavaskar and Virat Kohli, are the most for India in a bilateral Test series. Gavaskar scored 4 centuries twice against the West Indies, while Kohli levelled the record in 2014 against Australia.
Check out Virat Kohli’s Test record against all teams here.
When it comes to fifty plus scores in a series, Gavaskar set the bar high right from the start, scoring seven fifty plus knocks in his debut series. Later, Gavaskar again in 1978, Virat Kohli during his 692 run series against Australia, and Yashasvi Jaiswal in his 712 run effort — all had five scores of fifty or more.
Vinoo Mankad, Kohli, and Jaiswal hammered 2 double centuries each in a single series. Find out who scored the most Test double centuries in a single calendar year here.
There are over 30 instances of Indian batters scoring 500 or more runs in a bilateral series, with Gavaskar crossing the mark 6 times.
