KL Rahul has been the find of the Indian cricket team in the last season. Previously, the cricketer from Bangalore had proved his worth in Tests, scoring a century in Australia. This year he was in terrific form in the ODI series against Zimbabwe and he carried his form to the Caribbean islands too, scoring 158 runs in the one and only Indian innings in the second Test at Kingston, Jamaica.
In the 1st T20 match at the Broward Central Regional Park, he scored a breath-taking century but India lost the nail-biting encounter by a single run which saw 489-runs being scored. Rahul also became the third Indian to score a century in all the three formats of the game.
Let us have a look at other players who have scored centuries in all the three formats of the game. We have only listed out the stars who have scored centuries in Tests, ODIs and T20Is.
#1 Suresh Raina
Suresh Raina has been one of the regulars in the Indian ODI and T20 team for quite a period. Though his record in the 5-day format is nowhere even close to what he has achieved in the limited versions, yet his lone century against Sri Lanka in his maiden Test innings has helped him sneak into the unique class of players who have scored hundreds in all three formats.
He scripted history by becoming the first Indian to score a century in T20 Internationals for India. During the 2010 ICC World T20, Raina scored a blistering, 101-run innings to steer India to a victory over South Africa in the group stages.
#2 Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma is one of the most promising batsmen in the world of cricket at present. Like the previous star on the list, Sharma also scored a century on his Test debut back in 2013. With a mind-blowing 177-run inning at the Eden Gardens against the West Indies, Sharma marked his entry into Test cricket. Similar to VVS Laxman, the Mumbai-born has a fruitful history at the Eden Gardens, often referred to as “Cricket’s answer to the Coliseum”.
On 13 November 2014, he created a world record of scoring the highest individual score (264) in Kolkata. He also holds the record for scoring two double hundreds in ODIs. His only T20 century came last year on 2 October during South Africa’s tour to India.
#3 Chris Gayle
Chris Gayle is by far the most destructive T20 batsman the world has ever seen and has the ability to rip apart any bowling line-up. Every bowler’s nightmare, the Jamaican has produced many phenomenal performances since he made his International on September 11, 1999.
Moving forward exactly 8 years on the same date, he scored his first T20 century against South Africa in the first match of the inaugural ICC World T20. Gayle is arguably the most successful batsman if all the three formats are taken into consideration. Apart from scoring 39 centuries across all formats, he has scripted his name into the list of elite players who have scored two triple hundreds in Test matches.
#4 Brendon McCullum
Brendon McCullum has been the backbone of New Zealand’s batting line-up for the past 10 years and called it a day a few months ago this year. Known for his flawless stroke playing ability, the right-hander could clear the boundaries at will.
His 158-run innings for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the inaugural match of the Indian Premier League’s history is still remembered by cricket fans across the globe. His unbeaten knock of 116 runs in the T20 match against Australia in Christchurch on 28 February 2010 was his first of the 2 centuries he scored in the T20 format.
#5 Tillakaratne Dilshan
The inventor of the ‘Dilscoop’, the stylish Sri Lankan batsman played his last One-day International match against Australia in the ongoing ODI series. One of the most entertaining cricketers of recent times, his aggression with a bat in his hand shows a fair resemblance to former Indian batsman Virender Sehwag, who is also known for fierce hard-hitting.
Having played 87 Tests and 330 ODIs, he has amassed 38 centuries along with a single hundred in the 20-over format. In 2011, he scored an unbeaten match-winning 104 against Australia in Pallekelle, which makes him a part of the list.
#6 Martin Guptill
Martin Guptill has emerged as one of the most influential openers in limited overs cricket in the past few years. The right-hander is known for providing good starts for the Kiwis and performed well, especially in the 2015 ICC Cricket World where he was the highest run-scorer in the competition.
His only century in T20Is came in the nail-biting encounter against South Africa in East London, back in 2013. The ‘Proteas’ set up a total of 165 runs in the match which was cut short by an over each due to rain.
Guptill showed character and stuck to the 22-yards throughout the innings, hitting a boundary in the last ball to score his maiden T20 ton as well as levelling the 3-match T20 series at 1-1.
#7 Tamim Iqbal
The Chittagong-born left-handed batsman is one of the best batsmen Bangladesh has ever produced apart from Mohammad Ashraful and Mushfiqur Rahim. He is a stylish player who likes to call his shots when the field restrictions are on. Iqbal was fortunate enough to play for the Rest of the World XI in the prestigious match against the Marylebone Cricket Club at Lord’s on the occasion of the MCC Bicentenary Celebration Match two years back.
During the ICC World T20 qualifiers, he scored an unbeaten 103-run innings against Oman to ensure the Asian team gets a spot in the group stages of the tournament. Among the Bangladeshi batsmen, he shares the record with Mushfiqur Rahim of scoring a double-century in Tests.
#8 Ahmed Shehzad
Known for being the lookalike to Virat Kohli, the Pakistani star is the only consistent batsman in a weak Pakistani ODI squad which is dependent on its fast bowling department. Hailing from Lahore, Shehzad has played only 11 Tests and has made his mark in the brief spell having scored 3 centuries.
Missing the services of suspended Salman Butt was a big space to fill, and he has been successful to a considerable extent. Being a regular of the squad nowadays, he usually plays the limited-over formats, having 6 ODI centuries and a single T20I ton.
During the 2014 ICC World T20, he scored a match winning 111 runs and carried his bat throughout the innings against Bangladesh at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur.
#9 Mahela Jayawardene
Mahela Jayawardene formed the main strength of the Sri Lankan batting line-up for about a decade along with Kumar Sangakkara. Both of them have been part of many memorable victories in their nation’s cricket history. The highest ever partnership in Tests for 624 runs is held by these two living legends. Calm and composed, it is worth every penny watching Mahela bat.
Among the prestigious league of players to have scored more than 10,000 runs in both Test and ODIs, his void in the Sri Lankan batting can never be filled up. His score of 374 against South Africa in 2006 is the 4 highest individual score in Test match history.
The century he scored in the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup final went in vain as the total of 274 was bettered by the brilliance of Gautam Gambhir and MS Dhoni. The only T20 century he scored was during the 2010 World T20 against Zimbabwe.
#10 Faf Du Plessis
Faf Du Plessis is one the more consistent South African batsman these days; the elegant and graceful right-hander has scored only 1,823 runs in Tests out of which he has scored 5 centuries. Much more useful in limited over matches, his strike rate in ODIs and T20s are a whopping 86.33 and 132.64.
The Pretoria-born cricketer was made the captain of the ‘Proteas’ for the T20 team. Indian cricket fans are very familiar to his batting style as he used to play regularly for the Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League.
In the 3-match T20 series against West Indies last year, South Africa rode on the 119 that Du Plessis scored and the side notched up a total of 231 runs in the allotted overs. Chasing a record-breaking score, the destructive Chris Gayle scored a fantastic 90-run inning and West Indies won the match, with Du Plessis’ knock going in vain.
#11 Shane Watson
Shane Watson was the most well-known all-rounder for the Australians in the Ricky Ponting era. Having made his Test debut against South Africa in 2002, he has played 59 Test matches with 4 centuries to his name. But he is well known for his contributions in the 50-over format for the ‘Baggy Greens’.
He played 190 ODIs for the Australians and scored 6,466 runs at an average of 40.54 complemented with 168 scalps with the white ball. His unbeaten 185-run innings against Bangladesh in 2011 was one of the most destructive batting displays in the history of the game, where he hit 15 fours and as many maximums.
On 31 January, earlier this year he scored a destructive 124 in the 3rd T20 match against India at the Sydney Cricket Ground, but his efforts went in vain as the ‘Men in Blue’ won the match and inflicted a 3-0 whitewash on the hosts.
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