Indian cricket team has been an unavoidable force in the world of cricket for a long time. They have created multiple world-class bowlers who have been match-winners on multiple occasions.
However, few batters have enjoyed batting against the men in blue across all three formats. India being a spin-rich bowling unit for decades, the batsmen who have been particularly good at negotiating spinners have been sound against them.
Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting tops the chart of batsmen with the most number of centuries against the Indian team in international cricket – all three formats combined. Here’s the top ten list for you.
Most 100s vs India in International Cricket (Test+ODI+T20Is)
| PLAYER | MATCHES | INNINGS | 100S | 50S |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ricky Ponting (AUS) | 89 | 111 | 14 | 22 |
| Steve Smith (AUS) | 59 | 73 | 14 | 12 |
| Joe Root (ENG) | 59 | 81 | 13 | 14 |
| Viv Richards (WI) | 59 | 67 | 11 | 9 |
| Kumar Sangakkara (SL) | 97 | 103 | 11 | 23 |
| Sanath Jayasuriya (SL) | 103 | 105 | 10 | 16 |
| Mahela Jayawardene (SL) | 110 | 117 | 10 | 25 |
| Shivnarine Chanderpaul (WI) | 73 | 87 | 9 | 20 |
| Michael Clarke (AUS) | 56 | 70 | 9 | 10 |
| AB de Villiers (SA) | 61 | 76 | 9 | 13 |
Check: Most ODI 100s vs India
Key Stats
In a very short time, Steve Smith has risen up fast in the above list. His stunt of 8 centuries in 28 Test innings against India is way faster than the others. He also has 5 ODI centuries in 18 innings; his pace is only bettered by South African wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock. De Kock needs one more century knock to equal Jayasuriya’s record against India.
The English Test batsman Joe Root is the other candidate to go ahead of Ricky Ponting’s number as he has 12 centuries already. With India expected to face Australia and England every alternate year in Tests and more frequently in the shorter formats, Smith and Root are expected to finish high as the top two opponent batters against India across formats in terms of hundreds scored.
Looking back, Viv Richards’s numbers of 11 centuries in 67 innings he played against the Asian side at his time, is phenomenal. He also has the best conversion rate after Steve Smith converting 50s to 100s. The former West Indian batter has made it to the triple-digit score 11 out of 20 times he crossed the fifties. He is undoubtedly one of the greatest non-Asian batters in Asian conditions.
Jayasuriya’s 340, while scoring a record Test total of 952, is the highest any batsman has scored in an international game against India.
You can also read the most run-scorers against India in ODIs and Tests to understand more about the batters who have enjoyed playing against India.
