Cricket is a game that requires consistency, patience and skill – three things which create legends from mere great players. Scoring a century is the dream for every batter as it demands focus, skill and mental strength to execute in challenging play. Many legendary batters have created history with phenomenal batting performances over the years. The highest number of centuries in cricket is one of the most coveted records in the game.
Batsmen across the globe, from Test cricket to modern-day T20 internationals, have delighted fans by scoring phenomenal hundreds. Great batters such as Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli or Ricky Ponting, Kumar Sangakkara and Jacques Kallis have made international cricket their own over the past decades.
What Does a Century Mean in Cricket?
In cricket, the term ‘century’ is a score of 100 or more runs in a single innings by a bats-man. Century is a milestone because it represents how you cop up with pressure, handle the conditions and stay consistent over a long period.
In three major international formats, a batter/o can make centuries in.
- Test Cricket
- One Day International (ODI)
- Twenty20 International (T20I)
Those who have amassed the most centuries in Cricket are world-class, multi-format and multi-generational players.
List of the Most Centuries by Player in Cricket History
| Rank | Player | Country | International Centuries |
| 1 | Sachin Tendulkar | India | 100 |
| 2 | Virat Kohli | India | 85+ |
| 3 | Ricky Ponting | Australia | 71 |
| 4 | Kumar Sangakkara | Sri Lanka | 63 |
| 5 | Jacques Kallis | South Africa | 62 |
| 6 | Hashim Amla | South Africa | 55 |
| 7 | Mahela Jayawardene | Sri Lanka | 54 |
| 8 | Joe Root | England | 50+ |
| 9 | David Warner | Australia | 49+ |
| 10 | Brian Lara | West Indies | 53 |
Sachin Tendulkar – The King of International Centuries
Sachin Tendulkar: When talking about most centuries in cricket, Sachin Tendulkar’s name is always first. 3. The highest international century scorer, the Indian batting legend
Sachin Tendulkar has made an unbeaten international hundred (100) in 24 years of his illustrious career. He also did this with consistent performances in Test and ODI cricket.
Sachin Tendulkar Century Record:
- Test Centuries: 51
- ODI Centuries: 49
- Total International Centuries: 100
Sachin was the first player to score 100 international hundreds in the history of cricket. With an ability to find the runs against every major opponent that took the field with him, he was one of the greatest batsmen to have ever played the game.
Virat Kohli – Modern Era Century Machine
Virat Kohli is one of the most successful front line batsmen ever and most famous for the players with highest centuries in cricket. Kohli is known for his aggressiveness as well as his chasing ability and he has created many batting records.
Kohli’s century made him the only player after Sachin Tendulkar to score 51 or more ODI hundreds. He has proven his consistency in all formats and became a worldwide cricket icon.
Virat Kohli Century Statistics:
- Test Centuries: 30+
- ODI Centuries: 50+
- T20I Centuries: 1
- Total International Centuries: 85+
His ability to make runs and perform in crunch match situations made him arguably the greatest ever run-scorer of cricket history.
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Ricky Ponting – The Greatest Run Scorer For Australia
Ricky Ponting, played an insurmountable role in the dominance of Australia during early 2000’s. He was an aggressive stroke player and a great leader.
During his career, Ponting scored 71 international centuries, which is among the highest numbers of centuries by one player in the history of cricket.
Ricky Ponting Century Record:
- Test Centuries: 41
- ODI Centuries: 30
- Total: 71
He played key roles in Australia’s World Cup-winning sides and produced many memorable performances during his career.
Kumar Sangakkara – Sri Lanka’s Elegant Batter
Kumar Sangakkara was among the best batsmen Sri Lanka has ever produced. He achieved exceptional success with his elegant batting technique and consistency in international cricket.
A phenomenal international career, which saw Sangakkara score 63 centuries, including 38 in ODIs and 12 Test hundreds as well.
Kumar Sangakkara Century Record:
- Test Centuries: 38
- ODI Centuries: 25
- Total: 63
In addition to being a quality batsman, Sangakkara was also a top wicketkeeper and captain for Sri Lanka.
Jacques Kallis – Greatest All-Rounder with 62 Hundreds
Jacques Kallis? regarded as one of the greatest all-rounders to ever play the game. He was also one of South Africa’s key players with bat and ball.
With 62 international centuries, Kallis is also the all-rounder with the most hundreds.
Jacques Kallis Century Record:
- Test Centuries: 45
- ODI Centuries: 17
- Total: 62
An ability to deliver in all conditions made him one of the most prized players in world cricket.
Most Centuries in Test Cricket
It is a mistake to swoon over the Test format because it challenges batsmen at their most vulnerable: technique, patience and mind.
| Rank | Player | Test Centuries |
| 1 | Sachin Tendulkar | 51 |
| 2 | Jacques Kallis | 45 |
| 3 | Ricky Ponting | 41 |
| 4 | Joe Root | 40+ |
| 5 | Kumar Sangakkara | 38 |
Meanwhile, Sachin Tendulkar is still the leading century maker in Test cricket while Joe Root is challenging a few long-standing records.
Most Centuries in ODI Cricket
ODI cricket has given us some of the best knocks by batsmen since its introduction. To score hundreds at such a quick pace while still being consistent is a unique skill that only few possess.
| Rank | Player | ODI Centuries |
| 1 | Virat Kohli | 50+ |
| 2 | Sachin Tendulkar | 49 |
| 3 | Rohit Sharma | 30+ |
| 4 | Ricky Ponting | 30 |
| 5 | Sanath Jayasuriya | 28 |
Virat Kohli currently occupies the most ODI centuries and keeps breaking some more records.
Most Centuries in T20 International Cricket
While you do require an aggressive style of batting to flourish in T20 cricket, several players have gone on to score multiple hundreds.
| Rank | Player | T20I Centuries |
| 1 | Rohit Sharma | 5 |
| 2 | Glenn Maxwell | 5 |
| 3 | Suryakumar Yadav | 4+ |
| 4 | Babar Azam | 3 |
| 5 | Colin Munro | 3 |
These players proved that centuries are possible even in the shortest format, with the right mix of ability and aggressive cricket.
Indian Players with the Most International Centuries
An experienced essay of the best batsmen ever produced in Indian cricket. The list of highest century makers is padded out with Indian players.
| Player | International Centuries |
| Sachin Tendulkar | 100 |
| Virat Kohli | 85+ |
| Rohit Sharma | 50+ |
| Rahul Dravid | 48 |
| Sourav Ganguly | 38 |
We all heard about the success of Indian batsmen and their concept of cricket is primarily driven by a strong culture of cricket in the country that serves up bouffant batting talent like no other.
Future Players Who Can Break Century Records
Today we have many batsmen, who easily feature in the all time favourite list of cricketers with most centuries in cricket. Shubman Gill, Babar Azam, Harry Brook and Yashasvi Jaiswal have all delivered some promise already.
And, as careers stretched and fitness standards improved such that some historic marks set by legends of the sport might be in danger from future generations.
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Frequently Asked Questions: Most Centuries in Cricket
Who has the most centuries in cricket history?
Sachin Tendulkar holds the record for the most centuries in cricket history with 100 international hundreds.
How many centuries does Virat Kohli have?
Virat Kohli has scored more than 85 international centuries across all formats.
Who has the most ODI centuries?
Virat Kohli holds the record for the most ODI centuries with more than 50 hundreds.
Who scored the first 100 international centuries?
Sachin Tendulkar became the first cricketer to achieve 100 international centuries.
Which player has the most Test centuries?
Sachin Tendulkar has the highest number of Test centuries with 51 hundreds.
Conclusion
Most centuries in cricket is the true reflection of dedication, talent, and consistency of legendary batsmen. Also read: Sachin Tendulkar 100 international centuries – The Greatest Record In Cricket History Virat Kohli on the other hand, Virat Kohli keeps hunting down milestones and has walked through a storm to be one of the biggest names in modern day cricket.
These batting legends have given the fans several memorable moments and have inspired millions of cricket followers around the world. Both of their century records will be remembered as amongst the greatest cricketing achievements in history.
