Batsmen With The Most Centuries Across Formats Among Active Players

The advent of T20 cricket has necessitated batsmen to either tweak their techniques to feature in all three formats of the game, or to focus on their preferred format. This article focuses on the former – some of the true greats of the modern game who have been able to adjust their batting styles and achieve success in Tests, ODIs, and T20Is as well.

When it comes to scoring the most centuries across formats among active players, the following names are at the top of the run-scoring tree. The best part? They’re definitely not done yet, and are always looking to add to their run tally!

Batsmen With The Most Centuries Across Formats Among Active Players

8. Shikhar Dhawan (24)

The elegant left-handed opener from the sub-continent round up this list of the most centuries across formats among active players. India’s Shikhar Dhawan took the world by storm when he racked up the fastest Test century by a debutant against Australia in Mohali and has reached the three-figure mark with great regularity since. The flamboyant southpaw has scored seven Test tons and 17 ODI centuries over the course of his career.

*Stats updated till 19/03/22.

7. Kane Williamson (37)

Already considered one of, if not the, greatest batsmen New Zealand has ever produced, Kane Williamson is a joy to watch at the crease. He exudes a sense of calmness whenever he comes out to bat, keeping things simple in terms of technique but still scoring at a brisk pace. Extremely adept at playing pace as well as spin, Williamson has scored 24 Test tons and 13 ODI centuries.

*Stats updated till 19/03/22.

6. Steve Smith (38)

Steve Smith’s Test career began with him batting at number 8 as Australia’s new leg-spinner, but within five years, he was his country’s captain, best batsman, and rolled his arm over only in emergencies.

While his batting technique is far from orthodox, he has certainly made it work for him, as he plays pace and spin with equal ease. His 27 Test tons and 11 ODI centuries put him sixth on this list of the most centuries across formats among active players, but you can be sure that the appetite for many more tons still remains.

*Stats updated till 19/03/22.

5. Joe Root (41)

Although not a regular in the England T20I setup, Joe Root has more than made up for it by racking up incredible numbers in the other two formats of the game. He combines the broad range of strokes in his armoury with boundless patience to put opposition bowlers to the sword and has the centuries to show for it. He has scored 25 Test tons to go with his 16 ODI centuries, and if his recent form is anything to go by, he is going to shoot up this list very soon.

*Stats updated till 19/03/22.

4. Rohit Sharma (41)

Despite being blessed with all the shots in the book and an incredibly aesthetically pleasing hitting style, Rohit Sharma’s international cricket career did not take off until he switched to opening the batting in ODIs in late 2012. The most seemingly transformed Sharma into a six-hitting, ODI double century-scoring machine who has gone on to dominate at the top of the order across all formats.

He has scored eight Test centuries to go with his 29 ODI tons, five of which came at the 2019 ODI World Cup. His 264 against Sri Lanka in 2014 still stands as the highest individual score in ODI cricket. He also happens to be the leading run-scorer in T20Is, with his four T20I centuries taking his current total to 41 centuries across all formats.

*Stats updated till 19/03/22.

3. Chris Gayle (42)

The ‘Universe Boss’ has thrived in the era of T20 cricket, establishing himself as one of the giants of the shortest format, but has been extremely successful in Test whites as well. His attacking approach has seen him score 25 ODI centuries, 15 Test tons (including a triple ton), and two more in T20Is. Add to that his probing off-spin, and Gayle has to be considered among the best all-rounders limited-overs cricket has ever seen.

*Stats updated till 19/03/22.

2. David Warner (43)

Having established himself as one of the best all-format opening batsmen in the world, Warner will undoubtedly go down as one of Australia’s best batsmen. The swashbuckling left-handed can switch seamlessly between the all-action style of the T20s and the more measured approach of Test cricket. In all, he has scored 24 Test tons, 18 ODI tons, and a T20I century to boot, achieving a total of 43 with no signs of stopping any time soon.

*Stats updated till 19/03/22.

1. Virat Kohli (70)

Virat Kohli has combined his incredible skill with his unbelievable fitness levels to become the most prolific run-scorer across all three formats of the game. Of the current crop of players, Kohli is the one with the best chance of overhauling Sachin Tendulkar’s seemingly unsurmountable record of 100 international centuries.

With 27 Test tons to go along with a staggering 43 ODI centuries, Kohli’s 70 centuries put him comfortably top when it comes to a list of the most centuries across formats among active players.

*Stats updated till 19/03/22.