Will England-India Series Break All Century Records?

The Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy has already witnessed an astonishing 18 centuries in the first four Tests of the five-match series, setting a new record for the most centuries in a Test series played in England. The previous record was 15 centuries, set during a three-match series between England and India in 1990. With one Test remaining at The Oval, the series is on the brink of shattering global records.

The world record for the most centuries in a single Test series stands at 21, set during Australia’s tour of the West Indies in 1955. Australian batsmen scored 12 centuries, while West Indian batsmen contributed nine. If four more centuries are scored in the final Test, the England-India series will claim this prestigious record.

West Indian legend Clyde Walcott holds the record for the most centuries by an individual in a single series, with five in that 1955 series. Indian captain Shubman Gill is on the cusp of matching this feat, having already scored four centuries in the first four Tests. A single century at The Oval would see Gill equal Walcott’s 70-year-old record, while a double century would see him surpass it. In 1955, Australians Neil Harvey and Keith Miller each scored three centuries, with Colin McDonald adding multiple centuries, as 12 batsmen reached the three-figure mark in that series—a record for the most individual century-makers in a series. Remarkably, the current England-India series has already seen 12 batsmen score centuries. One more century-maker in the final Test would set a new record. Gill leads the century-makers with four, followed by India’s Lokesh Rahul, Rishabh Pant, and England’s Joe Root, each with two. Single centuries have been scored by India’s Ravindra Jadeja, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Washington Sundar, and England’s Jamie Smith, Ben Duckett, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes, and Ollie Pope.

India is also chasing a team record. Their batsmen have scored 11 centuries in the series, just two shy of the record for the most centuries by a single team in a series, jointly held by Australia, Pakistan, and South Africa with 12. The final Test at The Oval could see multiple records tumble, cementing this series as one of the most remarkable in Test cricket history.