9 batsmen with the most number of Test centuries against India

Playing against a particular opposition tends to bring out the best in some players. Either they develop a liking for the bowling of that country or thrive in the conditions. There have been many batsmen who have performed very well against India.

Traditionally, India has been a spin-heavy bowling unit and to do well against India it is imperative that one should be a good player of spin.

Most of the batsmen who have done well against India have been very good players of spin. The number of centuries they have is a very good parameter for looking at the amount of success a batsman had against a particular opposition.

Let us take a look at the list of the batsmen who have scored the most number of centuries against India.

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#9 Alastair Cook (7 centuries)

Cook had a very good record against India

Recently retired Alastair Cook is arguably one of the best opening batsmen to have ever played the game. Cook had calmness of a saint and temperament of steel. He had a knack of scoring daddy hundreds.

Cook retired at an early age of 33 as his form was dwindling. He was equally effective against pace and spin and his record in India is a testimony to this fact.

Cook scored 5 centuries during 13 Test matches he played in India. Overall he scored 7 centuries against India with the highest score of 294.

#8 Everton Weekes (7 Centuries)

Weekes was an attacking batsman

One of the famous three W's of West Indian cricket, Everton Weekes was an attacking batsman who had a variety of strokes. He was a very good player of spin bowling and he had an excellent record against India.

Weekes scored 1495 runs from 10 Tests against India at an average of 106.78 with 7 centuries. 4 out of those 7 centuries were made in India.

Overall, he scored 4455 runs at an average of 58.61 with 15 centuries from 48 Test Matches.

#7 Steven Smith (7 Centuries)

Smith is one of the modern day greats

One of the best batsmen of the current generation, Steven Smith has been a revelation in Test cricket. He is equally good both against spin and pace. Smith has scored runs all around the world.

Smith has a very good record against India, he has played 10 Test matches against India and he has scored 1429 runs at an outstanding average of 84.05 with 7 centuries. His record in India is particularly impressive with 660 runs from 6 Test matches at an average of 60.00 with 3 centuries.

#6 Jacques Kallis (7 Centuries)

Kallis was technically very correct

Kallis possessed a perfect technique and temperament needed for a Test batsman. He was one of the greats of his generation and scored heavily all around the world.

Kallis was equally good against pace and spin. He was also a more than handy medium pace bowler with 292 Test wickets to his name.

Kallis scored a mammoth 13289 runs from 166 Tests at an average of 55.37 with a monumental 45 centuries. Against India, he scored 1734 runs at an average of 69.36 with 7 centuries. 3 out of those 7 centuries were made in India.

#5 Michael Clarke (7 Centuries)

Clarke was very good against spinners

One of the Australian greats of his generation, Clarke was outstanding against spinners. His nimble footwork against spinners was a treat to watch. Apart from being a great batsman, Clarke was a shrewd captain as well.

Clarke scored 8643 runs from 115 Tests at an average of 49.10 with 28 centuries. Against India, he scored 2049 runs from 22 Test matches at an average of 53.92 with 7 centuries. 3 out of those 7 centuries were made in India.

#4 Shivnarine Chanderpaul (7 Centuries)

Shivnarine Chanderpaul was unorthodox but effective

The unsung hero of West Indian cricket, Shivnarine Chanderpaul carried the burden of West Indian batting on his shoulders for many years after the retirement of Brian Lara. He had an unorthodox approach towards batting, he was not the most elegant but was very effective.

Chanderpaul scored 11867 runs from 164 Tests at an average of 51.37 with 30 centuries. He developed a particular liking for Indian bowling, as against India, he scored 2171 runs at an outstanding average of 63.85 with 7 centuries. 2 out of those 7 centuries were made in India.

#3 Ricky Ponting (8 Centuries)

Ponting was not considered to be a great player of spin bowling

Ponting is one of the greats of the modern era. Some experts put him alongside Lara and Tendulkar in the great batsmen's list, which speaks volumes about his ability as a batsman. Having said that, his ability to play quality spin bowling was always questioned and his record against India also supports his doubters' hypothesis.

He played 14 Test matches in India and scored 662 runs at a disappointing average of 26.48 with only 1 hundred. His overall record against India looks impressive though, due to his exploits in Australia. He scored 2555 runs from 29 Test matches he played against India at an average of 54.36 with 8 centuries.

#2 Vivian Richards (8 Centuries)

Richards is one of the all-time greats

Another West Indian in the list, Vivian Richards is arguably the most devastating batsman the world has ever seen. He used to bat with supreme command even against top quality bowling. He was equally good against both spin and fast bowling.

Richards scored 8540 runs from 121 Tests at an average of 50.23 with 24 centuries. Against India, he scored 1927 runs at an average of 50.71 with 8 centuries. 3 out of those 8 centuries were made in India.

#1 Garry Sobers (8 Centuries)

Gary Sobers had a very good record against India

Famously called as the man who could do everything, Garry Sobers was a genuine all-rounder. He was equally good with both bat and ball. Apart from being a very good medium pacer, he was a decent left-arm spinner as well.

Sobers scored 8032 runs from 93 Tests at an astonishing average of 57.78 with 26 centuries. He also took 235 wickets during these Test matches.

Against India, he scored 1920 runs at an average of 83.47 with 8 centuries. 3 out of those 8 centuries were made in India, which signifies that he was a very good player of spin bowling.