India vs England: How India’s top 5 Test scorers & Kohli have done in England

India will play a five-match Test series besides a three-match one-day Twenty20 and one-day international ones against England in the tour beginning July 3 with first T20I at Old Trafford in Manchester.

India have produced quality batsmen over the years who have done well against England in Tests. Captain Virat Kohli had a magnificent home series versus the English in 2016-17 and the expectations will be high from him to deliver again this year not only lead India to a victory in England after over a decade but also to bury his own poor form in the 2014 outing.

We take this opportunity to analyse how India’s top five scorers in Tests have done against England in the five-day format and where Kohli stands in comparison to them:

1. Sachin Tendulkar (15,921 runs in 200 Tests; average 53.78; hundreds 51)

Tendulkar is the only player on this planet to have played 200 Tests and out of them, he played 32 against England. Out of these 32, he played 15 in England. Tendulkar has scored 2,535 runs against England at an average of 51.73 with seven hundreds and 13 fifties and the highest score of 193 scored in Leeds in 2002.

Tendulkar’s average is, however, better at 54.31 on English soil where he has slammed four centuries and eight fifties in a score of 1,575 runs in 17 matches.

At home, Tendulkar averages 48 against England with a score of 960 in 15 matches.

His highest score versus England at home is 165 in Chennai with three hundreds and five fifties.

2. Rahul Dravid (13,288 runs in 164 Tests; average 52.31; hundreds 36)

Rahul Dravid is the second highest run-getter for India in Tests and had made an impressive debut against England in 1996 when he fell five runs short of a well-deserved hundred.

Dravid has played 21 Tests against England and scored 1,950 runs in them at a high average of 60.93. He has hit seven hundreds and eight fifties against England and has the highest score of 217 at the Oval in 2002.

At home, Dravid has accumulated 574 runs against England in eight Tests at an average of 47.83 with one ton and four half-centuries and the only century (136) came in Mohali in 2008.

The technically equipped batsman has a staggering average of 68.80 in England (1,376 runs in 13 matches) where he has slammed six hundreds and four half-centuries with the highest score of 217.

3. Sunil Gavaskar (10,122 runs in 125 Tests; average 51.12; hundreds 34)

Sunil Gavaskar, India’s original Little Master and the first ever batsman to scale Mount Ten Thousand in Test cricket, has scored 2,483 runs against England in 38 matches at an average of 37.05. He has scored four tons and 16 fifties in Tests with the highest score of 221 scored at the Oval in 1979.

In England, Gavaskar has a better average of 41.14 in 16 Tests with two hundreds and eight half-centuries (1,152 runs in 16 matches).

At home, he has played 22 Tests versus England, scoring 1,331 runs at an average of 34.12 with two hundreds and eight fifties. His highest score at home against England in Tests is 172 which he slammed in Bengaluru in 1981.

4. VVS Laxman (8,781 runs in 134 Tests; average 45.97; hundreds 17)

VVS Laxman is the fourth highest scorer for India in Tests, although his record against England is not as shiny as it is against Australia. Laxman has played 17 matches against England, scoring 766 runs at an average of 30.64. His highest score against England came in Ahmedabad in 2001 in the form of 75. He has a total of six fifties against England.

In England, the stylish right-hander has scored 586 runs in 11 Tests at an average of 34.47 with the highest score of 74 at the Lord’s in 2002 and five fifties.

At home, Laxman has been ordinary against England, scoring just 180 runs in six Tests with just one half-century.

5. Virender Sehwag (8,586 runs in 104 Tests; average 49.34; hundreds 23)

Virender Sehwag has less than an average of 40 in Tests against England, one of the only two opponents besides Bangladesh. Sehwag has played 17 Tests in all against England, scoring 821 runs at an average of 29.32 with two centuries and four fifties.

In England, the dashing opener has played six Test matches, scoring 278 runs at an average of 27.80. His highest score against England in England is 106 at Trent Bridge in 2002. He has one half-century in England in Tests.

At home, Sehwag has played 11 Tests, scoring 543 runs at an average of 30.16. His highest score against England at home is 117 made in Ahmedabad in 2012. He has scored three half-centuries against the Englishmen at home.

6. Virat Kohli (5,554 runs in 66 Tests; average 53.40; 21 hundreds)

Though Virat Kohli is tenth in the list of Indian scorers in Tests, it is an imperative to compare his show against England with the former greats.

Kohli has scored 977 runs in 14 Tests against England overall at an average of 44.41 with three hundreds and two fifties. His highest score against England is 235 scored in Mumbai in 2016.

In England, Kohli has a disastrous Test average of 13.40 in five Tests with just 134 runs with the highest score being 39 scored in Southampton.

At home, however, he has a much better record against England with 843 runs in nine Tests with three hundreds, one of which is a double ton. Kohli, who captained India in the home series against England in 2016, amassed 655 runs in five Tests at an average of 109.16.