The first recorded century in a top-class cricket match was made by John Small, who scored 136 runs for Hampshire against Surrey at Broadhalfpenny Down in July 1775. The earliest known century partnership came in 1767 when two Hambledon batsmen, believed to be Tom Sueter and Edward “Curry” Aburrow, added 192 runs for the first wicket against Caterham.
In Test cricket, the first century was scored by Charles Bannerman, who made 165 before retiring hurt in the inaugural Test match between Australia and England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in March 1877. The first century partnership in Test history came in 1880 between W. G. Grace and A. P. Lucas for England against Australia at The Oval.
The first One Day International (ODI) century was scored by Dennis Amiss, who made 103 for England against Australia at Old Trafford on 24 August 1972. The first double century in ODI cricket was achieved by Australian Belinda Clark, who scored an unbeaten 229 against Denmark during the 1997 Women’s Cricket World Cup in Mumbai.
List of Cricketers with the Most Centuries in International Cricket
Sachin Tendulkar – 100 (51 Test, 49 ODI)
Sachin Tendulkar, with 100 international centuries, holds the record for the most centuries in international cricket. He became the first and only player to reach this milestone after scoring 114 against Bangladesh in March 2012.
He made his Test debut in 1989 and scored his first Test century in 1990 against England at Old Trafford, making 119 not out. His highest Test score is 248 not out against Bangladesh in 2004. He has six double centuries, remained not out 15 times, and scored 20 innings of 150 or more, surpassing Brian Lara’s record. His centuries came across 30 different venues, including 27 outside India, and he has fallen nine times in the 90s.
In ODIs, Tendulkar also debuted in 1989 but scored his first century in 1994, making 110 against Australia in Colombo. He has scored centuries against 11 ODI nations, becoming the first batsman to hit a double century in ODIs with 200 against South Africa* in 2010. Of his 49 ODI centuries, 19 came in India and 30 at away or neutral venues, with seven at Sharjah.
Virat Kohli – 82 (30 Test, 51 ODI, 1 T20I)
Virat Kohli has scored 82 international centuries, 30 in Tests, 51 in ODIs, and 1 in T20Is. He made his international debut in August 2008 against Sri Lanka and scored his first century the following year, making 107 against Sri Lanka at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. His highest ODI score is 183 against Pakistan in the 2012 Asia Cup, where India chased down 330 runs.
Kohli made his Test debut in 2011 against the West Indies and scored his first Test century in January 2012 in Australia. In the 2014–15 Border–Gavaskar Trophy, he became the fourth Indian to score centuries in both innings of a Test (115 and 141).
Kohli scored his only T20I century against Afghanistan in the 2022 Asia Cup, marking his first international hundred in nearly three years. In 2023, he scored 186 against Australia in Ahmedabad. His final Test century came in November 2024 against Australia, before retiring from Test cricket in May 2025.
Ricky Ponting – 71 (41 Test, 30 ODI)
Ricky Ponting scored 41 centuries in Test cricket and 30 in One Day Internationals (ODIs). In Tests, he scored centuries against all Test-playing nations and ranks third overall for most Test centuries, behind Sachin Tendulkar (51) and Jacques Kallis (45). His first Test century came in 1997 against England at Headingley, where he made 127 runs. His highest score was 257 against India in 2003 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
In ODIs, Ponting’s 30 centuries came against 11 opponents, making him the first player to score centuries against all full-member ODI nations. His first ODI hundred came in 1996 against Sri Lanka at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, and his highest ODI score was 164 against South Africa in 2006 at Johannesburg. Ponting scored 12 centuries at home and 16 away or neutral, with seven at the MCG.
Ponting retired from T20 Internationals in 2009 without a century in the format, though he made 98 not out against New Zealand in his first T20I in Auckland.
Kumar Sangakkara – 63 (38 Test, 25 ODI)
Kumar Sangakkara scored 38 centuries in Test cricket and 25 in One Day Internationals (ODIs). He made his Test debut in 2000 against South Africa and scored his first Test century in 2001 against India. His first double century came in 2002 against Pakistan in the Asian Test Championship final. His highest Test score is 319, made against Bangladesh in 2014.
Sangakkara made his ODI debut in 2000 against Pakistan and scored his first ODI century in 2003 against the same team. His highest ODI score is 169 against South Africa in 2013 at Colombo. His only ODI century as captain came against New Zealand in the 2011 ICC World Cup. He reached 10,000 ODI runs faster than any other Sri Lankan batsman.
He also played 56 T20 Internationals from 2006 to 2014, with a highest score of 78.
Jacques Kallis – 62 (45 Test, 17 ODI)
Jacques Kallis has scored 45 Test centuries and 17 ODI centuries, the most by any South African. He made his Test debut against England in December 1995 and scored his first century two years later against Australia. In the 2003–04 series against the West Indies, Kallis became the first player to score a century in each match of a four-Test series. He became South Africa’s top run-scorer in Tests in 2004–05 and was named ICC Test Player of the Year in 2005.
In ODIs, Kallis scored his maiden century in 1998 against New Zealand and his highest of 139 against the West Indies in 2004. Kallis remains the only South African to surpass 10,000 ODI runs.
FAQs
Q. Who has the most international centuries?
A. Sachin Tendulkar, with 100 international hundreds, 51 in Test matches and 49 in ODIs, is the record holder.
Q. What player has 117 centuries?
A. Sir Donald Bradman set a record for any Australian player with 117 first-class hundreds, including 37 double hundreds.
Q. What is Virat Kohli’s total number of double hundreds?
A. Virat Kohli is the only Indian player to have scored seven double hundreds in Test cricket. In 2019, he scored 254* against South Africa, his highest.
Q. Who reached 14,000 ODI runs the quickest?
A. With 287 innings, Virat Kohli became the fastest player to reach 14,000 ODI runs.
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