Scoring a century in international cricket is one of the greatest individual achievements for a batsman. Doing it once is special. Doing it 50, 60 or even 80 times requires extraordinary consistency, fitness, concentration and longevity.
At the top of the list stands Sachin Tendulkar, who finished his international career with 100 centuries 51 in Test cricket and 49 in ODIs. As of September 2026, no other player has reached 100 international hundreds. India’s Virat Kohli is the closest active challenger with 85 international centuries.
A century means that a batsman scores 100 or more runs in a single innings. An international century is a century scored while representing a national team in an official:
- Test match
- One Day International (ODI)
- Twenty20 International (T20I)
For example, if a player scores 100 runs in an IPL match, that century is not counted as an international century because the IPL is a domestic/franchise competition. Similarly, first-class and List A centuries are not included in the international-century tally unless they were scored in an official Test or ODI.
Why are international centuries important?
A century shows that a batsman has stayed at the crease long enough to score 100 runs against an international opponent. Reaching 50 or more international centuries is considered a remarkable achievement.
Most Centuries in International Cricket — Top 20
Discover the batsmen who have scored the most international centuries across Test, ODI and T20I cricket. Sachin Tendulkar remains the benchmark with 100 international hundreds.
👑 The Record Holder
Sachin Tendulkar 🇮🇳
Sachin Tendulkar is the only men’s international cricketer to have reached 100 centuries.
🏏 Top 20 — Most International Centuries
Combined centuries from official men’s Test, ODI and T20 International matches.
| Rank | Player | Country | Tests | ODIs | T20Is | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sachin Tendulkar | India | 51 | 49 | 0 | 100 |
| 2 | Virat Kohli | India | 30 | 54 | 1 | 85 |
| 3 | Ricky Ponting | Australia | 41 | 30 | 0 | 71 |
| 4 | Kumar Sangakkara | Sri Lanka | 38 | 25 | 0 | 63 |
| 5 | Jacques Kallis | South Africa | 45 | 17 | 0 | 62 |
| 6 | Joe Root | England | 41 | 20 | 0 | 61 |
| 7 | Hashim Amla | South Africa | 28 | 27 | 0 | 55 |
| 8 | Mahela Jayawardene | Sri Lanka | 34 | 19 | 1 | 54 |
| 9 | Brian Lara | West Indies | 34 | 19 | 0 | 53 |
| 10 | Rohit Sharma | India | 12 | 34 | 5 | 51 |
| 11 | David Warner | Australia | 26 | 22 | 1 | 49 |
| 12 | Steve Smith | Australia | 37 | 12 | 0 | 49 |
| 13 | Rahul Dravid | India | 36 | 12 | 0 | 48 |
| 14 | Kane Williamson | New Zealand | 33 | 15 | 0 | 48 |
| 15 | AB de Villiers | South Africa | 22 | 25 | 0 | 47 |
| 16 | Chris Gayle | West Indies | 15 | 25 | 2 | 42 |
| 17 | Sanath Jayasuriya | Sri Lanka | 14 | 28 | 0 | 42 |
| 18 | Shivnarine Chanderpaul | West Indies | 30 | 11 | 0 | 41 |
| 19 | Younis Khan | Pakistan | 34 | 7 | 0 | 41 |
| 20 | Matthew Hayden | Australia | 30 | 10 | 0 | 40 |
📝 Editorial Review
Sachin Tendulkar’s 100 international centuries remain one of cricket’s most difficult batting records to match. What makes the achievement remarkable is not simply the number of hundreds, but the longevity and consistency required to produce them across Tests and ODIs.
Virat Kohli’s rise makes the record even more interesting. Kohli has already moved beyond Tendulkar in ODI centuries, while Tendulkar’s overall mark of 100 remains the benchmark. The comparison between the two demonstrates how difficult it is to combine elite performance with a long international career.
For beginners, the key point is simple: an international century means scoring at least 100 runs in an official international innings. This dashboard combines centuries from Tests, ODIs and T20Is to show the biggest century-makers in men’s international cricket.
🔎 Authority & Reference Sources
The records should be verified against recognised cricket statistical authorities. These are the primary sources used for this dashboard.
📌 How These Records Are Counted
An international century means a score of 100 or more in an official men’s Test, ODI or T20 International innings.
Domestic and franchise competitions such as the IPL, BBL, PSL and CPL are not included in international century totals.
Because active players can add centuries during the season, this table should be reviewed periodically before republishing or updating the article.
🏏 Sachin vs Kohli vs Rohit
International Centuries Comparison — The Three Indian Batting Legends
Sachin Tendulkar
Virat Kohli
Rohit Sharma
| Player | Test 100s | ODI 100s | T20I 100s | Total 100s |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
Sachin Tendulkar
|
51 | 49 | 0 | 100 |
|
2
Virat Kohli
|
30 | 54 | 1 | 85 |
|
3
Rohit Sharma
|
12 | 34 | 5 | 51 |
📊 The Century Gap
🔥 BlazeFields Editorial Review
Sachin Tendulkar remains the only batter to reach 100 international centuries. Virat Kohli has moved into second place with 85 centuries and has already surpassed Sachin’s ODI century record with 54 ODI hundreds. Rohit Sharma follows with 51 international centuries, including five in T20Is.
Last verified: September 5, 2026
Sachin Tendulkar’s 100 ICC international centuries remain one of cricket’s most extraordinary records. The number becomes even more impressive when we remember that these hundreds were accumulated across 24 years of international cricket, against different generations of bowlers and in different playing conditions.
Virat Kohli has already surpassed Tendulkar’s ODI-century record and is now the closest challenger to the overall mark. But with 15 centuries still separating Kohli from Tendulkar, the 100-century record remains firmly in Tendulkar’s hands.
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T20 GUIDEFAQs
Answers to the most commonly asked questions about international centuries, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli and the greatest century-makers in cricket history.
Who has scored the most centuries in international cricket?
Sachin Tendulkar holds the record for the most centuries in men’s international cricket with 100 international hundreds.
Who is second on the list of most international centuries?
Virat Kohli is second on the all-time list of men’s international century-makers. His total includes centuries in Test, ODI and T20 International cricket.
How many international centuries does Sachin Tendulkar have?
Sachin Tendulkar scored 100 international centuries. He made 51 centuries in Test cricket and 49 in One Day Internationals.
How many centuries does Virat Kohli have in international cricket?
Virat Kohli has scored 85 international centuries according to the current records used for this article.
His total includes Test, ODI and T20 International centuries.
Who has the most centuries in Test cricket?
Sachin Tendulkar holds the record for the most Test centuries with 51 hundreds.
Who has scored the most centuries in ODI cricket?
Virat Kohli holds the record for the most ODI centuries, with 54 ODI hundreds.
Who has scored the most centuries in T20 International cricket?
T20 International cricket has produced many century-makers because of its attacking style. Rohit Sharma is among the leading T20I century-makers, with five T20I hundreds.
Has anyone scored 100 international centuries besides Sachin?
No. Sachin Tendulkar remains the only men’s international cricketer to have reached 100 centuries.
How many centuries did Ricky Ponting score?
Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting scored 71 international centuries.
His tally includes 41 Test centuries and 30 ODI centuries.
How many centuries did Kumar Sangakkara score?
Sri Lankan legend Kumar Sangakkara scored 63 international centuries.
He scored 38 Test centuries and 25 ODI centuries.
How many centuries did Rohit Sharma score?
Rohit Sharma has scored 51 international centuries, including centuries in Tests, ODIs and T20Is.
What is an international century?
An international century is a score of 100 or more runs in a single innings in an official international match.
International centuries can be scored in Tests, ODIs or T20 Internationals.
Are IPL centuries counted as international centuries?
No. IPL matches are franchise cricket rather than international matches. Therefore, IPL centuries are not added to a player’s international-century total.
Why is scoring 100 international centuries so difficult?
A player needs exceptional consistency and a very long international career to score 100 centuries.
Players must perform against different bowling attacks, in different countries and under different playing conditions.
Can Virat Kohli break Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 100 centuries?
Virat Kohli is currently the closest challenger to Tendulkar’s record. However, whether he can reach 100 will depend on his future international career, number of matches and century rate.
Kohli: 85 international centuries
Current gap: 15 centuries
Who has scored more ODI centuries, Sachin or Kohli?
Virat Kohli has scored more ODI centuries than Sachin Tendulkar.
Kohli has 54 ODI centuries, while Tendulkar finished with 49.
Does a double century count as two centuries?
No. A double century counts as one century in a player’s century statistics.
For example, a score of 200 is recorded as one century, not two.
What is the difference between a Test century and an ODI century?
The main difference is the format of cricket. Test matches can last up to five days, while ODIs are limited to 50 overs per side.
Both are official international formats, so centuries scored in either format contribute to a player’s overall international-century total.
Who are the top 5 century-makers in international cricket?
- Sachin Tendulkar — 100
- Virat Kohli — 85
- Ricky Ponting — 71
- Kumar Sangakkara — 63
- Jacques Kallis — 62
Which country has produced the most players with 50+ international centuries?
India has produced several of the most prolific international century-makers, including Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
Other countries with multiple elite century-makers include Australia, Sri Lanka, South Africa and the West Indies.
