Cricket has seen a lot of great batsmen in its history. Some have scored many hundreds in one format but failed to make a mark in another, while there are very few that have performed well in all formats. However, it is not an easy task to score a century – it requires dedication, concentration, and commitment. In this article, we will take a look at the players with the most centuries in cricket including the most centuries in ODI cricket, most centuries in Test cricket, most centuries in T20I, most centuries in IPL, and most centuries in International Cricket.
Most Centuries in International Cricket
| Player | Span | Mat | Inns | NO | Runs | HS | Ave | 100 | 50 | 0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SR Tendulkar (IND) | 1989-2013 | 664 | 782 | 74 | 34357 | 248* | 48.52 | 100 | 164 | 34 |
| V Kohli (IND) | 2008-2023 | 487 | 543 | 82 | 24881 | 254* | 53.97 | 76 | 129 | 33 |
| RT Ponting (AUS/ICC) | 1995-2012 | 560 | 668 | 70 | 27483 | 257 | 45.95 | 71 | 146 | 39 |
| KC Sangakkara (Asia/ICC/SL) | 2000-2015 | 594 | 666 | 67 | 28016 | 319 | 46.77 | 63 | 153 | 28 |
| JH Kallis (Afr/ICC/SA) | 1995-2014 | 519 | 617 | 97 | 25534 | 224 | 49.10 | 62 | 149 | 33 |
| HM Amla (SA/World) | 2004-2019 | 349 | 437 | 36 | 18672 | 311* | 46.56 | 55 | 88 | 19 |
| DPMD Jayawardene (Asia/SL) | 1997-2015 | 652 | 725 | 62 | 25957 | 374 | 39.15 | 54 | 136 | 47 |
| BC Lara (ICC/WI) | 1990-2007 | 430 | 521 | 38 | 22358 | 400* | 46.28 | 53 | 111 | 33 |
| R Dravid (Asia/ICC/IND) | 1996-2012 | 509 | 605 | 72 | 24208 | 270 | 45.41 | 48 | 146 | 21 |
| AB de Villiers (Afr/SA) | 2004-2018 | 420 | 484 | 68 | 20014 | 278* | 48.11 | 47 | 109 | 20 |
Sachin Tendulkar has scored 100 Centuries in International Cricket
Sachin Tendulkar also called the God of Cricket has the most centuries in International Cricket. He is the first and only batsman to hold this inhumane record of 100 centuries in International Cricket. His 24-year-long career saw him smashing 49 centuries in ODIs and 51 centuries in Test cricket.
He is followed by Virat Kohli. Virat has the second most centuries in International Cricket and is the only active player in the Top 10 list. Virat has 46 ODI centuries, 27 Test centuries, and 1 T20I Century.
Most Centuries in Test Cricket
| Player | Span | Mat | Inns | NO | Runs | HS | Ave | 100 | 50 | 0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SR Tendulkar (IND) | 1989-2013 | 200 | 329 | 33 | 15921 | 248* | 53.78 | 51 | 68 | 14 |
| JH Kallis (ICC/SA) | 1995-2013 | 166 | 280 | 40 | 13289 | 224 | 55.37 | 45 | 58 | 16 |
| RT Ponting (AUS) | 1995-2012 | 168 | 287 | 29 | 13378 | 257 | 51.85 | 41 | 62 | 17 |
| KC Sangakkara (SL) | 2000-2015 | 134 | 233 | 17 | 12400 | 319 | 57.40 | 38 | 52 | 11 |
| R Dravid (ICC/IND) | 1996-2012 | 164 | 286 | 32 | 13288 | 270 | 52.31 | 36 | 63 | 8 |
| Younis Khan (PAK) | 2000-2017 | 118 | 213 | 19 | 10099 | 313 | 52.05 | 34 | 33 | 19 |
| SM Gavaskar (IND) | 1971-1987 | 125 | 214 | 16 | 10122 | 236* | 51.12 | 34 | 45 | 12 |
| BC Lara (ICC/WI) | 1990-2006 | 131 | 232 | 6 | 11953 | 400* | 52.88 | 34 | 48 | 17 |
| DPMD Jayawardene (SL) | 1997-2014 | 149 | 252 | 15 | 11814 | 374 | 49.84 | 34 | 50 | 15 |
| AN Cook (ENG) | 2006-2018 | 161 | 291 | 16 | 12472 | 294 | 45.35 | 33 | 57 | 9 |
Sachin Tendulkar has 51 Test Hundreds
Sachin Tendulkar, considered the greatest batsman of all time, has the most centuries in Test Cricket along with having the most centuries in Cricket. The former Indian batsman has 51 Test Centuries to his name. He made his debut for India in 1989 at the age of 16 and quickly established himself as a top player. Tendulkar’s ability to score runs against all types of bowling and in all conditions made him a formidable opponent for any team.
He is followed by Jacques Kallis. Kallis, a South African all-rounder, made his debut in 1995 and played for South Africa until 2013. He is widely considered one of the greatest all-rounders in the history of cricket. He has 45 Test centuries to his name and is the second batsman with the most centuries in Test Cricket.
Ricky Ponting of Australia is the third name on the list. He was known for his aggressive style of play and was one of the key members of Australia’s dominant team of the 2000s. Ponting made his debut in 1995 and captained the team from 2004 to 2012. He has 41 centuries in Test cricket, with 13,378 runs, and is widely considered one of the best batsmen to have ever played the game.
Also Read: Most Runs in Test Cricket
Most Centuries in ODI Cricket
| Player | Span | Mat | Inns | NO | Runs | HS | Ave | SR | 100 | 50 | 0 | 4s | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SR Tendulkar (IND) | 1989-2012 | 463 | 452 | 41 | 18426 | 200* | 44.83 | 86.23 | 49 | 96 | 20 | 2016 | 195 |
| V Kohli (IND) | 2008-2023 | 274 | 265 | 40 | 12898 | 183 | 57.32 | 93.62 | 46 | 65 | 15 | 1211 | 138 |
| Rohit Sharma (IND) | 2007-2023 | 243 | 236 | 34 | 9825 | 264 | 48.63 | 90.02 | 30 | 48 | 14 | 900 | 275 |
| RT Ponting (AUS/ICC) | 1995-2012 | 375 | 365 | 39 | 13704 | 164 | 42.03 | 80.39 | 30 | 82 | 20 | 1231 | 162 |
| ST Jayasuriya (Asia/SL) | 1989-2011 | 445 | 433 | 18 | 13430 | 189 | 32.36 | 91.20 | 28 | 68 | 34 | 1500 | 270 |
| HM Amla (SA) | 2008-2019 | 181 | 178 | 14 | 8113 | 159 | 49.46 | 88.39 | 27 | 39 | 4 | 822 | 53 |
| AB de Villiers (Afr/SA) | 2005-2018 | 228 | 218 | 39 | 9577 | 176 | 53.50 | 101.09 | 25 | 53 | 7 | 840 | 204 |
| CH Gayle (ICC/WI) | 1999-2019 | 301 | 294 | 17 | 10480 | 215 | 37.83 | 87.19 | 25 | 54 | 25 | 1128 | 331 |
| KC Sangakkara (Asia/ICC/SL) | 2000-2015 | 404 | 380 | 41 | 14234 | 169 | 41.98 | 78.86 | 25 | 93 | 15 | 1385 | 88 |
| SC Ganguly (Asia/IND) | 1992-2007 | 311 | 300 | 23 | 11363 | 183 | 41.02 | 73.70 | 22 | 72 | 16 | 1122 | 190 |
Sachin Tendulkar has 49 ODI Hundreds
Sachin Tendulkar, along with having the most centuries in cricket, tops the list of Most ODI Centuries as well, with 49 centuries to his name. In a total of 452 innings in 463 matches, he has scored runs at an average of 44.83. It is worth mentioning that Sachin also has been a victim of Nervous Nineties 18 times in his ODI career. He would have had a total of 67 ODI centuries to his name if he could have converted all of them in centuries.
The second batsman with the most centuries in ODI History is Virat Kohli. He is also one of the only two currently active players on the list, the other one being Rohit Sharma. Virat has 46 ODI centuries to his name in 259 innings of 268 matches.
Also Read: Most Runs in ODI Cricket
Most Centuries in T20I Cricket
| Player | Span | 100 | Mat | Runs | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RG Sharma (Ind) | 2007-23 | 4 | 148 | 3853 | 118 |
| Suryakumar Yadav (Ind) | 2021-23 | 3 | 45 | 1578 | 117 |
| C Munro (NZ) | 2012-20 | 3 | 65 | 1724 | 109* |
| GJ Maxwell (Aus) | 2012-23 | 3 | 98 | 2159 | 145* |
| MJ Guptill (NZ) | 2009-23 | 2 | 121 | 3497 | 105 |
| AJ Finch (Aus) | 2011-23 | 2 | 103 | 3120 | 172 |
| Babar Azam (Pak) | 2016-23 | 2 | 99 | 3355 | 122 |
| CH Gayle (WI) | 2006-21 | 2 | 79 | 1899 | 117 |
| BB McCullum (NZ) | 2005-15 | 2 | 71 | 2140 | 123 |
| E Lewis (WI) | 2016-21 | 2 | 48 | 1386 | 125* |
| KL Rahul (Ind) | 2016-23 | 2 | 72 | 2265 | 110* |
| David Miller (SA) | 2010-23 | 2 | 111 | 2147 | 106* |
| GD Phillips (NZ) | 2017-23 | 2 | 55 | 1295 | 108 |
Rohit Sharma has the most hundreds in T20 International history. The Indian opener has scored a hundred on 4 occasions in 148 matches. Rohit Sharma made his debut for India in T20 World Cup 2007.
He is followed by Suryakumar Yadav. Surya has 3 centuries in just 45 matches, making him the batsman with the second most centuries in T20I Cricket.
Most Centuries in IPL
| Player | Innings | Runs | Average | Centuries |
| Virat Kohli | 229 | 7263 | 37.24 | 7 |
| Chris Gayle | 141 | 4965 | 39.72 | 6 |
| Jos Buttler | 94 | 3223 | 38.36 | 5 |
| KL Rahul | 109 | 4163 | 46.77 | 4 |
| David Warner | 176 | 6397 | 41.53 | 4 |
| Shane Watson | 141 | 3874 | 30.99 | 4 |
The Indian Premier League has been around since 2008 and has seen a lot of cricketers make their way to the International stage through outstanding performances in IPL. The most popular T20 Cricket league in the world has also seen a lot of foreign cricketers showing their muscle power in the IPL.
Chris Gayle of West Indies is the batsman with the most centuries in IPL. Playing for KKR, RCB, and KXIP, he has scored a total of 6 centuries in IPL. He has played a total of 142 matches in the IPL and has smashed 31 half centuries as well.
Virat Kohli, the run machine of IPL, has smashed 5 centuries in his IPL career. 4 out of his 5 centuries came in the 2016 edition of IPL. Virat has also smashed 42 half-centuries in 216 matches, out of which he got to bat 208 times.
Conclusion
So, as we see in this blog of most centuries in international cricket, Sachin Tendulkar has the most centuries in Cricket, along with having the most centuries in Test Cricket and ODI Cricket. Rohit Sharma has the most centuries in T20 Internationals, and Chris Gayle has the most centuries in T20.
Virat Kohli is second on the list of most centuries in cricket, followed by Ricky Ponting.
Leave a Reply