5 active batsmen with the most number of Test centuries

When one aims to play Test cricket during his childhood, he invariably dreams of acknowledging the crowd after scoring his first Test century. Very few are able to convert that dream into reality but there are some who get to raise their bat on a number of occasions during their respective Test careers.

Sachin Tendulkar leads the chart of highest Test century makers with 51 Test centuries to his name. There are few active Test batsmen who are pursuing that magical number of 52 Test centuries. It is not easy to score that many centuries but records are meant to be broken at some stage or the other.

Let's take a look at the list of 5 active Test batsmen with the most number of Test centuries- who are looking good to take a crack at that magical number of 52.

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#5 Kane Williamson (18 centuries)

Williamson is one of the best batsmen of the current generation

Williamson has been the mainstay of New Zealand batting for many years. Williamson is a technically very correct batsman. In spite of being bred on swing-friendly New Zealand wickets, Williamson has an amazing technique against spinners. He uses his feet really well against them which makes him a good all-round player all-around.

Williamson is also a very good captain with a great cricketing acumen. Williamson has scored 18 centuries from 65 Test matches so far. His home and away record is equally good as half of his centuries (9) have come away from home.

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#4 David Warner (21 Centuries)

Warner is one of the best ever opening batsmen

Currently out of the Test arena due to the match-fixing scandal that took place in South Africa, David Warner is an explosive Test opener in Sehwag-mould. He has won many matches for Australia single-handedly due to his devastating batting.

His robust starts often put the opposition on the back foot early in a Test, which allows the pace battery of Australia to take control of the game. David Warner has scored 21 centuries from 74 Test matches so far and he is looking good for many more.

#3 Steven Smith (23 Centuries)

Smith is temporarily out of the Test cricket

Smith is also temporarily out of the Test arena due to the match-fixing scandal that took place in South Africa. He is one of the best batsmen of the current generation who has been a revelation in Test cricket. He is equally good both against spin and pace and he has scored runs all around the world.

Smith has an unorthodox technique but he is mighty effective. He started off his career as a leg spinner but transformed into a world-class middle order batsman. Smith averages above 60 in Test match cricket which is a rarity. Smith has an excellent conversion rate which is evident from the fact that he has scored 23 centuries and 24 fifties from 64 Test matches so far. His away record is also good, as 10 of those 23 centuries have come away from home.

#2 Virat Kohli (24 Centuries)

Kohli seems to be the best bet to beat Sachin's record

Kohli is arguably the best batsman of the current generation. It's very difficult to find a chink in his armour. His ever-improving game has made the life of the opposition bowlers very difficult and during the last few years, he is easily the most feared batsman in the world. Recently he conquered the demons of his 2014 outing in England and scored a mammoth 593 runs from five Test matches during the recently concluded series.

Among the current generation of Test batsmen, he looks the most equipped to take a serious shot at the 52 Test hundreds to beat Sachin Tendulkar's record for the most number of Test centuries. Kohli has scored 24 centuries from 73 Test matches so far. He has an amazing record even in alien conditions with 13 centuries coming away from home.

#1 Hashim Amla (28 Centuries)

Amla has had an ordinary last couple of years in Test cricket

It won't be unfair to say that Hashim Amla's powers are on the wane. He had an ordinary last few years in Test cricket, nonetheless, he has been an amazing player for South Africa especially in Test cricket. He is the third highest run-getter for South Africa in Tests. Amla has scored runs all over the world and he is equally good against both spin and pace. He has a very good record in Asia - 1859 runs from 25 Test matches at an average of 47.66 with the highest score of 253 not out.

Amla has scored 28 centuries from 119 Test matches so far. Out of those 28 centuries, 10 have come away from home. Amla has a highest Test score of 311 not out which speaks volumes about his temperament as a batsman.