3 Indian batters with 4 or more Test hundreds in England
Team India are currently in England, preparing for a five-match Test series, which will be played from June 20 to August 4. The series will kick off with the opening Test at Headingley in Leeds and conclude with the fifth and final Test at The Oval. The five-match series will mark the start of the 2025-27 World Test Championship (WTC) cycle for both the teams.
India will be led by young batter Shubman Gill, who was named new Test captain after Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from red-ball cricket. The visitors will also be without the services of veteran batter Virat Kohli, who too has retired from the Test format. Also, while Jasprit Bumrah has been picked, there will be no Mohammad Shami as he could not prove his fitness for the grueling tour.
India have only won nine Test matches in England so far. However, there have been some impressive performances from batters in the country over the years. In his feature, we look at Indian players with four or more Test tons in England.
#3 Dilip Vengsarkar (4 hundreds)
Former India batter Dilip Vengsarkar loved batting in England, especially at the iconic Lord's Cricket Stadium. He played 13 Tests in England and scored 960 runs at an average of 48, with four hundreds and as many half-centuries.
Vengsarkar's first Test hundred in England came in 1979 in the second Test at Lord's. After being dismissed for a duck in the first innings, the elegant batter scored 103 off 295 balls in the second innings as the match ended in a draw.
Vengsarkar scored a famous 157 in India's seven-wicket triumph at Lord's in 1982. The stellar knock again came in the second innings after he was dismissed for a single-figure score in the first essay. The former India batter struck 21 fours in his 334-minute stay, facing 264 balls.
Vengsarkar also scored an unbeaten 126 at Lord's in the first innings of the opening Test in 1986. India won the match by five wickets. In the second Test of the series, he followed up his first-innings 61 with an unbeaten 102 in the second essay. The visitors won the contest by 279 runs.
#2 Sachin Tendulkar (4 hundreds)
Like Vengsarkar, Indian batting legend Sachin Tendulkar also notched up four hundreds in England. He played 17 matches in the country and scored 1,575 runs at an average of 54.31. Apart from four tons, Tendulkar also hit eight fifties.
The Master Blaster's first ton in England came in Manchester during the 1990 tour. Only 17 years old, he scored a defiant 119* in the second innings to help India draw the Test match. This was after he contributed 68 in the first innings.
Tendulkar notched up two centuries during the 1996 tour. He scored 122 in the second innings of the first Test in Birmingham. The knock, however, went in vain as England won the match by eight wickets. Tendulkar then scored brilliant 177 in the first innings of the drawn Test in Nottingham.
The Indian legend's fourth and final Test ton in England came in Leeds in 2002 in the famous victory by an innings and 46 runs. Tendulkar top-scored with 193 off 330 balls as India put up a mammoth total of 628-8 declared.
#1 Rahul Dravid (6 hundreds)
Former captain and ex-coach Rahul Dravid holds the record for having notched up most Test tons by an Indian batter in England. 'The Wall' played 13 Tests in England and scored 1,376 runs at an average of 68.80, with the aid of six hundreds and four half-centuries.
Dravid had a stupendous tour in 2002, scoring three tons in the series. The No. 3 batter hit 115 in the second innings of the second innings in Nottingham, a game which ended in a draw. He was Player of the Match for his sublime 148 as India thumped England by an innings and 46 runs in Leeds. Dravid then compiled a magnificent 217 off 468 balls in the high-scoring draw at The Oval.
At the fag end of his career, Dravid notched up three centuries during the 2011 England tour as well. He scored 103* in the first innings of the opening Test at Lord's even as India lost the game by 196 runs. Dravid contributed 117 in the next Test in Nottingham and 146* in the fourth Test at The Oval. Despite his valiant efforts, India ended up losing both the Test matches.