5 greatest Indian Test batsmen of all time

India has produced a plethora of great batsmen in Test cricket. From the great Polly Umrigar and the incomparable Sunil Gavaskar to the god-like Sachin Tendulkar and the relentless Virat Kohli, Indian batsmen have regularly enthralled the cricketing world with their dazzling strokeplay.

But who have been the greatest of them all? Here is a list of the 5 greatest Test batsmen produced by India.

5. Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli

If this list was written even 3 years back, Virat Kohli would not have figured in it. But his record in the last three years almost ranges on the verge of absurdity.

Kohli has scored an astonishing 3,337 runs since 2016, with 13 hundreds in this period. What's more, he has converted six of those into double hundreds. His average in the last three years has been an astounding 70.21.

Kohli is the only batsman in the history of Test cricket to record four consecutive double hundreds in four consecutive Test matches. He is currently India’s seventh highest run-getter and is not even 30 years old.

With at least another 7-8 years of cricket left in him, Kohli is certain to rewrite several records in the future and maybe even climb higher up this list.

4. VVS Laxman

VVS Laxman

VVS Laxman's 281* against Australia will probably go down as the greatest innings ever played by an Indian batsman in Test cricket.

Laxman was an integral part of the Fab Four of Indian cricket during the first decade of the new millennium. He is India’s 4th highest run-getter with 8,781 runs at average of 45.97.

Laxman reserved his best for the best bowling attack of his generation - Australia - scoring 2,434 runs against them including six hundreds and 12 fifties. Laxman’s artistry with the bat can be matched by very few in world cricket, and he was indeed “VERY VERY SPECIAL”.

3. Sunil Gavaskar

Sunil Gavaskar was easily one of the greatest openers in the history of Test match cricket. He scaled several new heights in batting when he became the first batsman in the history of Test cricket to breach the 10,000 run mark.

Gavaskar gave new meaning to the words grit and determination when he faced up to the West Indian quicks in the 1970s and 1980s. Also called the “Little Master”, Gavaskar held the records for the most number of hundreds (34) and runs (10,122) when he retired from the game in 1987.

Gavaskar is also the only cricketer to score four consecutive centuries in two venues - Port Of Spain and the Wankhede Stadium.

2. Rahul Dravid

Rahul Dravid was India’s “go-to” man whenever there was a crisis. He is the fourth highest run-getter in the history of Test match cricket with 13,288 runs including 36 hundreds and 63 fifties. He also has six double centuries in Test cricket.

Dravid’s two greatest knocks are the 233* he hit in Adelaide against Australia and also the 270* he scored at Rawalpindi. He holds the record for facing the most number of balls in Test cricket - 31,258 balls.

Nicknamed “ The Wall”, Dravid also holds the record for the most hundred-plus partnerships (20) in Test cricket, along with Sachin Tendulkar.

1. Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar after being dismissed in his historic 200th test match

Sachin Tendulkar hardly needs any introduction. Also known as the “God of Cricket” by millions of fans, Tendulkar holds just about every single batting record in Test cricket including that for the most runs (15,921) and most hundreds (51).

In a career spanning almost a quarter of a century, he bore the expectations of more than a billion people every time he strode out to bat. Tendulkar is also the only Test Cricketer to play a mind boggling 200 Test Matches for his country.

He was also the first sportsperson to be bestowed with the highest civilian honor of the country - the Bharat Ratna.