5 prominent Indian batters who did not score a Test hundred in England
The Indian cricket team is currently in England for a five-match Test series, which will be played from June 20 to August 4. Before the start of the Test matches, the visitors will play a four-day practice game at the Kent County Cricket Ground in Beckenham from June 13 to June 16.
The India-England five-match series will be played as part of the new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle - 2025 to 2027. India ended their previous WTC campaign on a poor note. They were stunned 3-0 at home by New Zealand and subsequently suffered a 3-1 loss to Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
With Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma having retired from Tests, India will begin a new chapter in their red-ball history under Shubman Gill's leadership. While a number of star batters have performed impressively in Tests in England over the years, a number of big names have produced underwhelming performances. On that note, we look at five prominent Indian batters who did not score a Test ton in England.
#5 Shikhar Dhawan
Former India opener Shikhar Dhawan had a stop-start Test career during which he played 34 matches and scored 2,315 runs at an average of 40.61. The left-handed batter notched up seven hundreds in his Test career, but failed to score even a single half-century in England.
Dhawan played seven Tests in England between 2014 and 2018. In 14 innings, he managed only 284 runs at a poor average of 20.28. His best Test score in England was 44, which was registered in Nottingham during the 2018 tour.
#4 Pankaj Roy
Another former India opener, Pankaj Roy also ended his international career without a Test hundred in England. Roy played nine Tests in England between 1952 and 1959. In 17 innings, he totaled 233 runs at an average of 13.70, with just one fifty. His best of 54 came in Nottingham during the 1959 series.
Overall, Roy played 43 Test matches during his career and scored 2,442 runs at an average of 32.56, with the aid of five hundreds and nine half-centuries.
#3 Vijay Hazare
Indian batting legend Vijay Hazare also failed to notch up a Test hundred in England. He played seven Tests in England between 1946 and 1952. In 12 innings, Hazare scored 456 runs at an average of 41.45, with three half-centuries. His best of 89 came in Leeds in 1952. Leading the team, Hazare scored 56 in the second innings as well. He also scored 69* at Lord's during the same tour.
In his overall Test career, Hazare played 30 matches and scored 2,192 runs at an average of 47.65. He hit seven hundreds and nine fifties, with a best of 164*.
#2 VVS Laxman
Former India middle-order batter VVS Laxman had a highly impressive Test career. He represented the country in a total of 134 Test matches, scoring 8,781 runs at an average of 45.97, with the aid of 17 hundreds and 56 half-centuries.
The former Hyderabad batter, known for his wristy stroke play, however, did not enjoy his time in England against the moving ball. Laxman played 11 Tests in England between 2002 and 2011. In 19 innings, he scored 586 runs at an average of 34.47, with five half-centuries to his name. Laxman's best of 74 came at Lord's in 2002 during his maiden Test tour of England.
#1 MS Dhoni
Former India captain MS Dhoni also ended his international career without a Test hundred in England. The ex-India keeper-batter played 12 Tests in England between 2007 and 2014. In 23 innings, he scored 778 runs at a decent average of 37.04, with the aid of eight fifties. His best of 92 came off just 81 balls at The Oval during the 2007 series. Dhoni struck nine fours and four sixes in his knock.
Dhoni ended his Test career with 90 matches in which he notched up 4,876 runs at an average of 38.09, with the aid of six tons and 33 fifties and a best of 224.