A total of 130 tons were scored by Indians in SENA countries as of May 2025. Unquestionably, one of the most notable achievements for any hitter in Test cricket is reaching a century. Given the difficult circumstances faced by the SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Australia) nations, this could be regarded as one of India cricket’s most admirable accomplishments.
When playing with the red ball in these countries, some of India’s best batters have struggled with the bat. Each of the 130 Test tons scored in SENA countries (as of May 2025) has a unique position in the history of Indian Test cricket, regardless of the game’s outcome.
Indian hitters’ Top five test hundreds in SENA Nations
5. Cheteshwar Pujara (123 off 246 vs Australia, 2018)
In the first Test of the eagerly anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Team India had won the toss and chosen to bat first. The visitors got off to a terrible start, losing three wickets in the first hour of play. The Australians’ pace attack had done a fantastic job. Nathan Lyon bowled out Rohit Sharma (37 off 61) and Rishabh Pant (25 off 38).
But Cheteshwar Pujara was the only one who remained steadfast. At the close of the day’s play, Pujara was dismissed with a brilliant fielding move. Australia ended up giving up a 15-run advantage in the first innings, and he top-scored with 71 in India’s second innings. Pujara was appropriately named Player of the Match after India won the match by 31 runs.
4. Rahul Dravid (190 off 354 vs New Zealand, 1999)
Javagal Srinath’s five wickets (5/95 in 32.2 overs) restricted New Zealand to 366 in the first innings. By the fifth over of the innings, India’s opening batsmen were out of the game. Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar then embarked on a century-plus stand together (67 off 93). Later on, he helped India’s first innings hero reach 144 for the eighth wicket.
On 464/8, the Kiwis announced their second innings. Navjot Sidhu and Ajay Jadeja were unable to build on their early successes. Dravid maintained the momentum he had gained from his batting. For the first time in his Test career, he and Sourav Ganguly (101* off 111) combined to score a century in both innings. There was a draw in the match. Even though India lost the series, Dravid was the series’ top run scorer.
3. Virat Kohli (149 off 225 vs England, 2018)
By the end of the second over on the second day, England had been bowled out for 287 thanks to the combined seven wickets of Mohammed Shami (3/64 in 19.4 overs) and Ravichandran Ashwin (4/62 in 26 overs). India lost their first three wickets in 2.1 overs despite having a strong batting start. For his team, Virat Kohli was the most impressive player. The last batter to be removed was him.
Kohli had scored 149 of India’s 274 runs, including 20 extras. After dismissing the hosts for 180 in 53 overs, India was in a strong position to win the match. The captain at the time also led his team in scoring in the second innings with 51 off 93. They lost by 31 runs, nevertheless. India lost the series by a score of 4-1 and was never able to bounce back from that defeat.
2. Gundappa Viswanath (114 off 222 vs Australia, 1981)
During the three-match 1980–81 tour of Australia, the first Test concluded in a resounding victory for the hosts. The second match ended in a tie. Australia had the advantage since they chose to field first. Before the score hit fifty, they had eliminated the top three players from India. When Gundappa Viswanath reached the crease, he delivered one of the best knocks ever made by an Australian subcontinental hitter.
In the end, India won by 59 runs to tie the score. With 419 runs in their opening innings, Australia secured a sizable advantage. The opening partnership of Sunil Gavaskar (70 off 180) and Chetan Chauhan (85 off 198) added more than half of India’s second-innings total. 143 in all didn’t seem like one that could be justified. However, Kapil Dev’s brilliant bowling performance (5/28 in 16.4 overs) disproved that.
1. Kapil Dev (129 off 180 vs South Africa, 1992)
Allan Donald’s five-wicket haul in the first innings destroyed Team India, which was knocked out for 212. The main reason the Proteas reached 275 was because of Hansie Cronje’s 135 points. India’s second innings start couldn’t have been worse; with just 27 runs scored, they had already lost half of their team. It appeared as though the home team would win by a landslide.
With an incredible 129-run effort, the famous all-rounder Kapil Dev fought alone at the crease and nearly single-handedly lifted India’s score from dreadful to respectable. After 73 overs, India finished at 215 thanks to three 17s from the hitters that came after. South Africa easily won by a score of nine wickets. Nonetheless, Kapil’s perseverance is what makes this specific game so memorable.
Excited for the India tour to England. Updates are here.
FAQs
Who among the Sena countries scored the most runs as an Indian?
The most runs scored by Indian batters across all formats in SENA nations: The only Indian batsman to score more than 10,000 runs in SENA nations is Sachin Tendulkar.
Who has taken the most wickets in Sena countries in Test?
Jasprit Bumrah
Who is the most successful captain of India in Sena countries?
Virat Kohli
What Does SENA stands for?
SENA stands for: South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia
Sachin Records were broken by whom?
On Sunday, February 23, during India’s Champions Trophy 2025 match against Pakistan, Virat Kohli broke Sachin Tendulkar’s ODI cricket world record.
