5 prominent batters who have fewer Test hundreds than R Ashwin ft. Temba Bavuma

Ravichandran Ashwin and rearguard actions with the bat have become routine for Team India in home Tests and the series opener against Bangladesh was no different. On a gloomy and overcast morning in Chennai, Rohit Sharma's Men were dismantled to 34/5 inside the first ten overs by a spirited Bangladesh attack.

Despite a mini-recovery, India sunk further into trouble at 144/6 in the post-lunch session when Ashwin joined hands with Ravindra Jadeja. The duo, as they have done for much of their stellar careers, resurrected the Indian innings and took them to 339/6 at the close of play on the opening day of the first Test.

While Jadeja finished on 86*, the hometown hero Ashwin brought up his sixth Test century and ended the day unbeaten on 102* off 112 balls. While his first four Test tons came at Kolkata, Mumbai followed by two in the West Indies, his latest two have come in Chennai.

This is in addition to his incredible 516 Test wickets - second all-time among Indian bowlers, cementing the champion cricketer as among the best-ever all-rounders in cricket history.

Ashwin's sixth Test hundred also took him past some of the most prominent batters of the present and past in the sport in terms of centuries - a few names that could spring a surprise.

On that note, here are five renowned batters who have fewer Test centuries than Ashwin (6) in their respective careers.

#1 Temba Bavuma

Bavuma has struggled to convert his 50s into three-figure scores in Tests [Credit: Getty]

South African Test captain Temba Bavuma has been central to the side over the past decade with his resilient batting. However, the one disappointment in his Test career has been the ability to convert starts and half-centuries to big scores.

As a result, the 34-year-old has only 2 centuries in 59 Test appearances and 101 innings. The poor conversion has meant despite several valuable knocks for the Proteas, Bavuma has a Test average of under 36.

He scored his first Test ton back against England in 2016 but had to wait until last year to score a second century against the West Indies. With a 2: 21 ratio of 100:50, Bavuma's conversion rate is among the worst in Test history.

#2 Arjuna Ranatunga

Ranatunga played almost 100 Tests in his illustrious international career [Credit: Getty]

Former Sri Lankan captain Arjuna Ranatunga was among the best middle-order batters of the 1980s and 1990s. The southpaw played 93 Tests and scored over 5,000 runs at an average of 35.69.

Yet, he has only four centuries to show for in his lengthy career despite crossing the half-century mark 38 other times. Ranatunga scored his first two Test tons in 1985 and 1986 but had to wait another six years before reaching a three-figure score.

He scored his final two Test centuries in 1992 and 1993 before going hundred-less in the final seven years of his career.

#3 Sarfaraz Ahmed

Sarfaraz Ahmed was one of Pakistan's more reliable Test batters in the mid-2010s [Credit: Getty]

Pakistan wicketkeeper Sarfaraz Ahmed is another accomplished Test batter with fewer centuries than Ravichandran Ashwin's six. Despite predominantly batting at No.6 and 7, Sarfaraz has scored 50+ 25 times in his 54-Test career.

However, he has converted only four of those to three-figure scores, leaving him two short of Ashwin's tally. Sarfaraz has scored over 3,000 Test runs at an impressive average of 37.41 and was long considered among the top three wicket-keeper batters in Test cricket.

The 37-year-old scored his first three centuries in a dream 2014 season but struggled with his conversion rate since. Sarfaraz was eventually dropped from the Test squad in 2019 before returning at the end of 2022 and scoring his fourth ton in the second game after his comeback.

#4 Martin Guptill

Guptill's Test career was marred by inconsistencies [Credit: Getty]

Former New Zealand opener Martin Guptill may have been renowned for his white-ball batting, yet, he also played 47 Tests during his career.

The 37-year-old scored over 2,500 runs in 89 innings with 20 scores of 50+ but converted only three of those into centuries. Guptill's first Test ton was a 189 against Bangladesh in 2010 and he followed that with another century against Zimbabwe a year later.

However, it took the swashbuckling batter until 2015 to score his third and final century, following which he played Tests for another year with limited success.

#5 Jonty Rhodes

Jonty Rhodes couldn't match his brilliant fielding with the bat in Test cricket [Credit: Getty]

South African Jonty Rhodes is another former batter who finished his Test career with fewer tons than Ashwin. Rhodes played 52 Tests from 1992 to 2000 but scored only three centuries despite crossing a half-century 20 times.

The middle-order batter scored his first ton against Sri Lanka in 1993 but went century-less after that until 1998. Finally, in June 1998, Rhodes scored a 117 against England at Lord's and a 103* against the West Indies few months later.

Eventually, he finished his Test career with over 2,500 runs at a healthy average of 35.66.