Meet India’s top scorers in SENA countries: Only one active player remains - and he’s in commentary box
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Meet India’s top scorers in SENA countries: Only one active player remains - and he’s in commentary box")
Beautiful sunset at the Melbourne Cricket Ground Photograph: (X/ @Melbourne)
From Sachin Tendulkar to Virat Kohli, meet the top five batters with most runs in South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa. All of these players have at least scored 2,000 plus runs in tough and challenging conditions of SENA.
After lifting the maiden IPL trophy with RCB, Virat Kohli was asked about his potential retirement from Test cricket by former Australian great Mathew Hayden. With a smile, Virat emphasised that he values “Test cricket five levels above the triumph in the IPL.” He noted that this is the specialness of cricket's longest format. Test cricket challenges your patience and skill every minute, every ball and every session. You must remain vigilant at all times and there can be no compromises in this format.
Over the years, India have produced some notable Test cricketers. When you play for India, you have to prove yourself not just by playing at home, but by scoring overseas, especially in SENA countries (South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia). These nations possess tough conditions, unlike Indian conditions, which are spin-friendly and Indian batters are used to them. There is extra pace, bounce, lateral movement of the ball and overcast conditions. Nevertheless, few Indian batters have proved themselves by scoring in such extreme conditions.
Also read | Top five cricketers with best cover drives of all time: Kohli only Indian, check the others
Let's glance at the five Test batters who scored the most runs for India in SENA conditions
1) Sachin Tendulkar
Former India captain Sachin Tendulkar is the leading run-getter for India in SENA countries with 5,387 runs. Even after his retirement from Test cricket 12 years ago, Sachin still stands tall in this tally. Notably, Sachin was the only Indian to have a 50-plus average in SENA conditions.
Trending Stories
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
2) Rahul Dravid
The Wall of Indian cricket for 16 years, Rahul Dravid, is just behind the 'God of cricket' with 3,909 runs. Dravid is also the second leading run-scorer for India with 13,265 runs.
3) Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli, the modern-day legend and a dominant force in Test cricket for India, scored 3,781 runs with 12 hundreds and 14 half-centuries. The historic series win in Australia (2018) was one of the notable achievements in Kohli's stellar career.
4) VVS Laxman
In 41 tests in the SENA nation, VVS Laxman amassed 2,710 runs with an average of 40. Interestingly, from Mar 2009 to Jul 2010, Laxman notched up eight fifties on the trot.
5) Cheteswar Pujara
Cheteshwar Pujara is the sole active player in the list. After India's heart-wrenching defeat to Australia in the 2023 WTC Final, he was dropped from the squad. Pujara has around 2,588 runs in the SENA nations. Interestingly, Pujara is the third Indian to bat in all five days of a Test match (against Sri Lanka at Eden Gardens in 2017).
