Top 5: Most Centuries in Border-Gavaskar Trophy

The 17th instance of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) is set to be played in Australia starting November 22 at the Perth Stadium. It is one of the rare series in modern times where we will see 5 Tests being played and argued to produce an optimal amount of entertainment.

Though India have won 2-1 in their last two Test tours down under and have not never lost the trophy since the 2015 series, the matches involving these 2 sides have always been competitive, irrespective of the venue.

So, in this article, we will look at the top 5 batters with the most centuries in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

5. Michael Clarke (Australia): 7 Centuries (22 Tests)

Michael Clarke, the former Australian skipper, was always at his best when it came to playing against India in the BGT.

In what was a scintillating debut performance in Bengaluru in the 2004 series, Clarke amassed a jaw-dropping 151 and continued the rich vein of form in his last BGT in 2014, where he once again scored a ton (128 in Adelaide).

In between, he scored 5 more tons, with his most memorable tour coming in 2011/12, where he scored 626 runs across 4 Tests, hammering 2 incredible tons (210 and 329*). Overall, Clarke made 2049 runs in 22 Tests against India.

4. Ricky Ponting (Australia): 8 Centuries (29 Tests)

The former Aussie skipper and legendary batter, Ricky Ponting, is the second most prolific batter in BGT behind Sachin with 2555 runs.

He achieved this at a staggering average of 54.36, and his watershed series came in 2003/04, where he smashed a whopping 706 runs in 4 games with 2 centuries.

Ponting finished his career with 8 centuries against India, and 3 of those were converted into a double century.

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3. Steve Smith (Australia): 8 Centuries (18 Tests)

Arguably one of the finest Test batters in the modern era, Steve Smith has been simply sensational when it comes to Tests against India.

He has taken a liking to the Indian team, having scored a whopping 1887 runs in a mere 18 Tests versus India at an incredible average of just over 65.

In those games, Smith has smashed 8 tons, including 4 in the 2014/15 series held in Australia alone, and is closing on Sachin Tendulkar’s mark of 9 Test tons in BGT.

2. Virat Kohli (India): 8 Centuries (24 Tests)

Another player who will be part of the upcoming BGT 2024/25 is India’s Virat Kohli. Like Steve Smith, Kohli also possesses a sensational record when it comes to BGT.

The former Indian skipper has smashed 8 tons against the formidable Aussie bowling attack in just 24 Tests. His most remarkable performance came in the 2014/15 series, where he hammered 4 centuries in as many games.

In all, Kohli averages a great 48.26 in BGT Tests while scoring 1979 runs and is another contender to dethrone Sachin from the top in this incredible list of most centuries.

1. Sachin Tendulkar (India): 9 Centuries (34 Tests)

Known as the Master Blaster and one of the greatest batters of all time, Sachin Tendulkar owns most of the batting records there are in cricket.

When it comes to the Border-Gavaskar trophy, Sachin isn’t just the leading run-getter, with 3262 runs at an astounding average of 56.24, but also leads the pack with most centuries.

He has 9 centuries while playing against Australia in the BGT, with 241* at the SCG in the 2003/04 series being his best score. The legendary batter has also won the Man of the Series award 3 times in BGT: 1997/98, 1999/2000, and 2010/11, the most by any player.

These 5 batters have held centre stage in the BGT over the last 3 decades, and it will be great to see who will make progress towards the top in the upcoming BGT.