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All-Time Batting Records in Cricket — Most Runs, Fastest Centuries, Highest Scores 2026

Deepak Soni 29 March 2026 ~11 min read ~2,115 words
Cricket Batting Records All Time

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All-Time Batting Records in Cricket — The Complete 2026 Guide

Cricket is a batsman's game at its heart. From Sachin Tendulkar's 34,357 international runs to AB de Villiers smashing a century in 31 balls, the sport's history is written in batting milestones that define eras.

This is the definitive reference for every major batting record across Tests, ODIs, and T20Is. Whether you want to settle a debate, compare legends like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, or simply enjoy the numbers, every stat you need is right here — updated through early 2026.


Most Runs in International Cricket

The all-time run scoring list is dominated by players who excelled across multiple formats over long careers. Here are the top 10 run scorers in international cricket history.

RankPlayerCountryMatchesRunsAverage
1Sachin TendulkarIndia66434,35745.16
2Kumar SangakkaraSri Lanka59428,01642.35
3Ricky PontingAustralia56027,48342.03
4Mahela JayawardeneSri Lanka65225,95735.26
5Jacques KallisSouth Africa51925,53444.36
6Virat KohliIndia500+25,000+46+
7Rahul DravidIndia50924,20842.52
8Brian LaraWest Indies43022,35843.26
9Shivnarine ChanderpaulWest Indies40820,58044.17
10Inzamam-ul-HaqPakistan37820,54140.67

Who scored 50,000 runs in international cricket? No batsman in history has reached 50,000 international runs. Sachin Tendulkar holds the all-time record with 34,357 runs — still nearly 16,000 short of that mark. Given the demands of modern scheduling and the rise of T20 specialisation, it is extremely unlikely any player will get close to 50,000.


Most Runs in Test Cricket

Test cricket is the ultimate examination of batting ability. Only 14 batsmen have crossed the 10,000-run barrier in the longest format.

RankPlayerCountryMatchesRunsAverage100s
1Sachin TendulkarIndia20015,92153.7851
2Ricky PontingAustralia16813,37851.8541
3Jacques KallisSouth Africa16613,28955.3745
4Rahul DravidIndia16413,28852.3136
5Kumar SangakkaraSri Lanka13412,40057.4038
6Brian LaraWest Indies13111,95352.8834
7Alastair CookEngland16112,47245.3533
8Shivnarine ChanderpaulWest Indies16411,86751.3730
9Mahela JayawardeneSri Lanka14911,81449.8434
10Allan BorderAustralia15611,17450.5627

Who scored 10,000 Test runs? Fourteen batsmen have achieved this milestone: Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting, Jacques Kallis, Rahul Dravid, Kumar Sangakkara, Brian Lara, Alastair Cook, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Mahela Jayawardene, Allan Border, Steve Waugh, Sunil Gavaskar, Younis Khan, and Joe Root. Root, still active, continues to add to his tally.


Most Runs in ODI Cricket

One-Day International cricket has produced some of the most prolific run machines in history. The top of this list belongs exclusively to Sachin Tendulkar.

RankPlayerCountryMatchesRunsAverage100s
1Sachin TendulkarIndia46318,42644.8349
2Virat KohliIndia280+13,800+57+50
3Kumar SangakkaraSri Lanka40414,23441.9825
4Ricky PontingAustralia37513,70442.0330
5Sanath JayasuriyaSri Lanka44513,43032.3628
6Mahela JayawardeneSri Lanka44812,65033.3719
7Inzamam-ul-HaqPakistan37811,73939.5210
8Jacques KallisSouth Africa32811,57944.3617
9Sourav GangulyIndia31111,36341.0222
10Rohit SharmaIndia26510,800+49+31

Which players have 14,000 runs in ODI cricket? Only two players have crossed 14,000 ODI runs — Sachin Tendulkar (18,426) and Kumar Sangakkara (14,234). Virat Kohli is approaching this milestone and could become the third player to reach 14,000 ODI runs depending on India's schedule.


Fastest Centuries in Cricket

Speed records fascinate cricket fans like nothing else. Here are the fastest centuries across all three formats.

Fastest Century in ODI Cricket

RankPlayerBallsAgainstYearVenue
1AB de Villiers31West Indies2015Johannesburg
2Corey Anderson36West Indies2014Queenstown
3Mark Boucher44Zimbabwe2006Potchefstroom
4Shahid Afridi37Sri Lanka1996Nairobi
5Abishek Sharma46Various2024Various

Who made 100 in 31 balls? AB de Villiers scored the fastest ODI century in just 31 balls against the West Indies on 18 January 2015 at the Wanderers, Johannesburg. He finished with 149 off 44 balls, hitting 16 sixes and 9 fours in one of the most brutal innings ever played.

Fastest Century in T20I Cricket

RankPlayerBallsAgainstYear
1Sahil Chauhan27Maldives2024
2Rohit Sharma35Sri Lanka2017
3David Miller35Bangladesh2017
4Chris Gayle30England2016
5Aaron Finch42England2013

Fastest Century in Test Cricket

RankPlayerBallsAgainstYear
1Ben Stokes47West Indies2022
2Viv Richards56England1986
3Misbah-ul-Haq56Australia2014
4Adam Gilchrist57England2006
5Jack Gregory67South Africa1921

Highest Individual Scores

Highest Score in Test Cricket

Brian Lara holds the record for the highest individual score in Test cricket — 400 not out against England in Antigua (2004). He also previously held the record with 375 against the same opposition.

RankPlayerScoreAgainstYearVenue
1Brian Lara400*England2004Antigua
2Matthew Hayden380Zimbabwe2003Perth
3Brian Lara375England1994Antigua
4Virender Sehwag319South Africa2008Chennai
5Virender Sehwag309Pakistan2004Multan
6Chris Gayle317South Africa2005Antigua

Who scored 2 triple centuries in Test cricket? Virender Sehwag is the only batsman to score two triple centuries in Test cricket — 309 against Pakistan in Multan (2004) and 319 against South Africa in Chennai (2008). Brian Lara scored 375 and 400* but the 375 is not a triple century in the technical sense since both are separate records. Chris Gayle also scored a triple century (317) but only one.

Highest Score in ODI Cricket

Rohit Sharma holds the record for the highest individual score in ODI cricket — 264 against Sri Lanka in Kolkata (2014). He is also the only player to score three ODI double centuries.

RankPlayerScoreAgainstYearVenue
1Rohit Sharma264Sri Lanka2014Kolkata
2Martin Guptill237*West Indies2015Wellington
3Fakhar Zaman210*Zimbabwe2018Bulawayo
4Rohit Sharma209Australia2013Bangalore
5Sachin Tendulkar200*South Africa2010Gwalior

Who scored 200 runs in ODI cricket? Several batsmen have scored ODI double centuries. Sachin Tendulkar was the first player in history to score 200 in an ODI (200* vs South Africa, 2010). Rohit Sharma holds the record with 264 and has three double centuries (264, 209, and 208*). Martin Guptill (237*) and Fakhar Zaman (210*) are also members of this exclusive club.

Highest Score in T20 International

Who scored 344 in T20? No batsman has scored 344 in a T20 international match. The highest individual T20I score is around 170-175 (Hazratullah Zazai scored 162 for Afghanistan). In domestic franchise T20 cricket, scores above 170 have occurred but 344 has never been achieved by an individual in any professional T20 match. The number 344 may be confused with team totals — some T20 teams have posted scores above 260.


Most Centuries in International Cricket

Who scored 99 centuries? No batsman has finished their career on exactly 99 international centuries. Sachin Tendulkar holds the all-time record with 100 international centuries — 51 in Test cricket and 49 in ODI cricket. He reached this milestone on 16 March 2012 against Bangladesh in the Asia Cup at Mirpur.

Virat Kohli is the next closest active player, with 80+ international centuries across formats and still adding to his tally.

RankPlayerTest 100sODI 100sT20I 100sTotal
1Sachin Tendulkar51490100
2Virat Kohli2950180+
3Ricky Ponting4130071
4Kumar Sangakkara3825063
5Jacques Kallis4517062
6Hashim Amla2827055
7Mahela Jayawardene3419053
8Brian Lara3419053
9Rohit Sharma1231447+
10Rahul Dravid3612048

Most Sixes in International Cricket

The power-hitting revolution has made six-hitting one of the most tracked stats in modern cricket.

RankPlayerCountryTestsODIsT20IsTotal 6s
1Rohit SharmaIndia127275200+600+
2Chris GayleWest Indies98331124553
3Shahid AfridiPakistan5235148476
4Martin GuptillNew Zealand35173132363
5Brendon McCullumNew Zealand10720055398
6MS DhoniIndia7822942359
7Virat KohliIndia90+150+40+280+
8AB de VilliersSouth Africa7520455334
9Adam GilchristAustralia1001493252
10Sanath JayasuriyaSri Lanka3127018319

Who hit 6 fours in 6 balls? This question is often confused with hitting six sixes in an over. Herschelle Gibbs famously hit 6 sixes in 6 balls off Daan van Bunge (Netherlands) during the 2007 Cricket World Cup. Yuvraj Singh hit 6 sixes in an over off Stuart Broad in the 2007 T20 World Cup. As for 6 fours in 6 consecutive deliveries, this has happened multiple times in various matches across formats — it is not attributed to a single iconic moment like the six sixes.


Who Scored 500 Runs in One Match?

No batsman has scored 500 runs in a single match in international cricket. The highest individual Test innings is Brian Lara's 400 not out. Even across both innings of a Test match, no player has accumulated 500 runs.

In first-class cricket, the closest anyone came was Hanif Mohammad of Pakistan, who scored 499 for Karachi against Bahawalpur in 1959 — controversially run out one short of 500. Brian Lara's first-class record is 501 not out for Warwickshire against Durham in 1994, which remains the highest individual score in any form of first-class cricket.

Who is the fastest ODI batsman? The fastest batsman in ODI cricket in terms of strike rate (minimum 1,000 runs) changes based on the era. Among modern players with significant careers, AB de Villiers (101.09 SR), Glenn Maxwell (125+ SR), and Jos Buttler (118+ SR) stand out. For sheer destructive speed, AB de Villiers' overall ODI career strike rate of 101.09 across 9,577 runs is considered the gold standard.


FAQ — Cricket Batting Records

Who scored 50,000 runs in cricket? No player has scored 50,000 international runs. Sachin Tendulkar's 34,357 is the all-time record.

Who scored 10,000 Test runs? Fourteen batsmen have reached 10,000 Test runs. Sachin Tendulkar leads with 15,921, followed by Ponting, Kallis, Dravid, Sangakkara, Cook, Lara, and others.

Who scored 200 runs in ODI? Sachin Tendulkar was the first (200* vs South Africa, 2010). Rohit Sharma holds the record at 264 vs Sri Lanka (2014). Guptill and Fakhar Zaman are also in the club.

Who made 100 runs in 31 balls? AB de Villiers scored the fastest ODI century in 31 balls against West Indies at Johannesburg in 2015.

Who scored 2 triple centuries in Test cricket? Virender Sehwag is the only batsman with two Test triple centuries — 309 vs Pakistan (2004) and 319 vs South Africa (2008).

Who scored 99 centuries? No player finished on 99 centuries. Sachin Tendulkar retired with exactly 100 international centuries.

Who hit 6 fours in 6 balls? Hitting 6 fours in 6 consecutive deliveries has occurred in various matches. The more famous record is Herschelle Gibbs and Yuvraj Singh hitting 6 sixes in an over.

Which players have 14,000 runs in ODI? Only Sachin Tendulkar (18,426) and Kumar Sangakkara (14,234) have crossed 14,000 ODI runs. Virat Kohli is approaching this milestone.

Who is the fastest ODI batsman? By career strike rate with significant runs, AB de Villiers (SR 101.09 across 9,577 runs) is the fastest. Glenn Maxwell and Jos Buttler also have exceptional strike rates.

Who scored 344 in T20? No individual has scored 344 in any T20 match. The highest individual T20I score is around 162 (Hazratullah Zazai for Afghanistan).

Who scored 500 runs in one match? No one in international cricket. Brian Lara's 400* is the highest Test innings. In first-class cricket, Lara scored 501* for Warwickshire in 1994.


Cricket batting records are a living archive that evolves with every series. For more cricket stats and records, check out our all-time IPL records guide and the head-to-head breakdown of Virat Kohli vs Rohit Sharma.

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Deepak Soni

Expert in: How To Guides

Cricket analyst and content writer at CricJosh, covering How To Guides with 6 articles published.