3 great cricketers with 70 or more international hundreds

Indian captain Virat Kohli slammed his 27th Test century on the second day of India’s maiden day-night Test against Bangladesh at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Kohli’s 136 from 194 balls featured 18 fours.

Thanks to Kohli’s century, India declared their first innings on 347 for 9, with a massive lead of 241 over Bangladesh’s first-innings total of 106 all out.

With his latest century, Kohli has jumped to second on the list of captains with most hundreds in Test matches. The Indian batsman now has 20 tons as captain, one more than Aussie legend Ricky Ponting (19). South Africa's Graeme Smith tops the list with 25 Test hundreds as captain.

Kohli, during the course of his 136, also equaled the record for most international hundreds as captain. He and Ponting are now tied at 41 centuries each as captain in international cricket.

Further, the hundred has placed Kohli in an elite list, that of batsmen with 70 or more international hundreds. Here’s a look at the three players who have achieved the rare feat.

#3 Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli

The hundred at Eden Gardens was Kohli’s 70th in international cricket. He has played a total of 395 international matches so far and has amassed 21,172 runs at an average of 57.06. Apart from the 70 hundreds, he also has 98 fifties to his credit.

Also see - Ranji schedule

Splitting his numbers by format, Kohli has 27 hundreds in Tests from 84 matches at an average of 54.97, and in ODIs he has notched up 43 hundreds in 239 games at an average of 60.31. He is yet to register a T20I hundred, but he still averages 50 from 72 T20Is with 22 fifties and a best of 90 not out.

In fact, Kohli is the only batsman who averages in excess of 50 in all formats of the game. He is sure to smash a few more records in the coming years.

#2 Ricky Ponting

Ricky Ponting

Ricky Ponting has played a total of 560 international games for Australia, amassing 27,483 runs at an average of 45.95 with 71 hundreds and 146 fifties. Of his 71 international tons, Punter registered 41 in Test matches.

The former Australian captain played 168 Tests in which he scored 13,378 runs at an average of 51.85. Apart from his 41 Test tons, Ponting also smashed 30 hundreds in one-day cricket; in ODIs, he averaged 42.03 from 375 matches and scored a total of 13,704 runs. Along with the hundreds, the former skipper also hit 82 half-centuries in the format.

Like Kohli so far, Ponting does not have a T20I hundred either. He featured in 17 matches in the shortest format of the game and ended up with a highest of 98 not out, one of his two fifties in T20Is.

#1 Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar

The Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar is way ahead of the rest when it comes to international hundreds. In a career spanning 24 years, the Master Blaster turned out for India in 664 international matches. Tendulkar ended his career with a total of 34,357 runs, the most by some distance, at an average of 48.52.

Tendulkar has to his name 100 international hundreds, the only player in history to achieve the feat so far. In addition, he also registered 164 international half-centuries.

Of his hundreds, Tendulkar scored 51 in Tests from 200 matches. The former India captain accumulated 15,921 runs in the longest format at an average of 53.78. 68 of his fifties came in the Test format.

In ODIs, Tendulkar finished with 49 hundreds from 463 games scoring a total of 18,426 runs while averaging 44.83. He fell four short of 100 one-day fifties, ending with 96.

Tendulkar played a solitary T20I and scored 10 runs in it.