When it comes to subcontinent batters, the biggest challenge is scoring Test runs in England. While pitches in India and its neighboring countries offer spin mostly, in England and the remaining SENA Nations, seam, swing, and bounce are high on the agenda. England has also had terrific bowlers to suit those conditions. Hence, the Indian batters take it as a challenge to do well in the English conditions. On that note, in this article, we take a look at the list of most Test runs scored by an Indian in England till now.
1) Sachin Tendulkar
Matches: 17 || Runs: 1575 || Average: 54.31 || Hundreds: 4 || Fifties: 8
It is not a surprise that Sachin Tendulkar tops the list. While Don Bradman is the overall No.1 with more than 2600 runs, Sachin Tendulkar has scored almost 10% of his total aggregate in England. Seen as one of the most technically complete players the game has seen, most of Sachin’s runs came during the first half of his career.
In fact, after the 193 that he scored at Leeds in 2002, Sachin did not get a hundred on English soil. He got a few good scores but was not able to contribute much on a consistent basis.
2) Rahul Dravid
Matches: 13 || Runs: 1376 || Average: 68.80 || Hundreds: 6 || Fifties: 4
Amongst Indian batters, Rahul Dravid has a good record of scoring runs in overseas conditions. In England, patience is a vital requirement for any batter to succeed. Rahul Dravid had oodles of it, and hence, he scored heavily in England.
Starting from the 95 he scored on his debut at the Lord’s in 1996 to his final game in England in 2011, Rahul Dravid was consistent in the country. The current Indian coach also has a double hundred on English soil, which he scored way back in 2002.
3) Sunil Gavaskar
Matches: 16 || Runs: 1152 || Average: 41.14 || Hundreds: 2 || Fifties: 8
Sunil Gavaskar is the third name in this list of most Test runs scored by an Indian in England till now. Before the era comprising the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, Sunil Gavaskar was the face of Indian batting for a very long time.
Naturally, the legend also has a lot of runs to his name in England. Sunil Gavaskar’s best knock in England happened in 1979 when he got a double hundred against a difficult attack at the Oval. It was a terrific knock that helped India pull off a draw.
4) Virat Kohli
Matches: 15 || Runs: 1002 || Average: 34.55 || Hundreds: 2 || Fifties: 5
Virat Kohli‘s Test career had its major triggers in England. When he started out, Virat exposed his weaknesses to the moving ball and hence, 2014 was one of the toughest years for him. However, when he came back to the country in 2018, he was a different cricketer.
The former India skipper scored two centuries in that series and was responsible for a decent performance by the team. However, the demons came back in 2021, despite scoring two half-centuries. Nevertheless, Virat can make amends for it by doing well in the one-off game that India is slated to play in July this year.
5) Dilip Vengsarkar
Matches: 13 || Runs: 960 || Average: 48.00 || Hundreds: 4 || Fifties: 4
Dilip Vengsarkar stands at No.5 in this list of most Test runs scored by an Indian in England till now. Although he is usually not seen in the discussions regarding the cream of Indian batting, Dilip Vengsarkar stands on his own with respect to a few performances of his.
The Mumbai cricketer scored four centuries in all and in two of those innings, he remained not-out. Although he would have liked the tour in 1990 to have been better, Dilip still has a terrific record in England.
