Top 10 batters who can breach the 10,000-run mark in Test cricket

Test cricket is considered as one of the toughest formats in the cricketing arena. A batter needs to have grit and determination to be successful in the longest format of the game. Several batters in the cricketing arena have batted exceedingly well in the Test format and have managed to cross the 10,000-run mark. Indian batter Sunil Gavaskar was the first batter to cross the mark in 1987 and several other legends of the game have managed to achieve the feat including Younis Khan, Sachin Tendulkar, and Rahul Dravid, among others. Former England skipper Joe Root was the latest player to enter the list. On that note, let us take a look at the top 10 players who might breach the 10,000-run mark in the Test format: 10. Cheteshwar Pujara (India) One of the finest batters in the Test format, Cheteshwar Pujara is one of the prominent candidates to cross the 10,000-run mark in the Test arena. The right-handed batter has not represented India in the limited-over formats for a very long time and he only focuses on the red-ball format. Talking about his numbers in the Test cricket, the right-handed batter has already amassed 7052 runs in 100 matches and still has a lot of cricket left in him. Pujara plays at an average of almost 44 and has stroked 34 fifties and 19 centuries in the Test format. Over the years, Pujara has played several memorable knocks for Team India. The right-handed batter made his debut back in 2010 against Australia and since then he has remained a prominent member of India’s Test team. Pujara will want to cross the 10,000-run mark before retiring from the Test format. 9. Steven Smith (Australia) Team Australia's prominent batter Steven Smith is one of the finest batters in the Test arena. The right-handed batter has a unique style of batting which causes a lot of trouble to opposition bowlers. To note, Smith started his career as a leg-spinner, but he has now become one of the best batters in the longest format of the game. Smith has represented Australia in 94 matches and has amassed 8718 runs at an astonishing average of 60.12. The right-handed batter has already smashed 30 centuries and 37 fifties in the Test format with his highest score being 239 runs. The prominent batter made his Test debut against Pakistan in 2010 and despite missing cricket for a year due to a ball-tampering incident, Smith has recovered well and he is on the path to cross the 10,000-run mark in the longest format of the game. Apart from his runs, Smith has also scalped 19 wickets in the Test format. 8. David Warner (Australia) Another Australian on the list, David Warner is also in touching distance of smashing 10,000 runs in the Test format. The left-handed batter made his Test debut in 2011 and since then he has played several mesmerizing knocks in the red-ball format. Talking about his numbers in the Test format, Warner has smashed 8158 runs in 103 Test matches with his average being 45.57. Warner has also made 34 fifties and 25 centuries in the Test format with his best score being 335 not out. Warner also plays at a higher than usual strike rate. Just like Steven Smith, Warner was also banned for a year after his involvement in the ball-tampering incident against South Africa, and just like Steve Smith, the left-handed batter has made a strong comeback in the international format and he will back himself to breach the 10,000-run landmark. 7. Marnus Labuschagne (Australia) The third and final Australian on our list, batter Marnus Labuschagne has achieved the status of being one of the most competent batters in the Australian batting line-up. The right-handed batter is extremely comfortable against both spin and pace and has all the shots in the book. Labuschagne made his debut against Pakistan in 2018 and since then he has established himself as one of the regular members of the Aussie batting line-up. Talking about his numbers in the Test format, the right-handed batter has already stroked 3269 runs in just 35 matches at an excellent average of 57.35. He has also stroked 14 fifties and 10 centuries in the red-ball format with his highest score being 215. Labuschagne is also very handy with the ball as he has scalped 13 wickets in the longest format of the game. 6. Jonny Bairstow (England) England’s senior batter Jonny Bairstow comes next on the list. The right-handed batter is currently in red-hot form in the Test format. Bairstow recently scored back-to-back centuries against team India in the rescheduled Test match and helped his side in winning the match comfortably. Talking about his numbers in the Test format, the right-handed batter has already scored 5482 runs in 89 Test matches. He plays at an average of 37.04 and has stoked 23 fifties and 12 centuries with his highest score being 167 not out. He will back himself to breach the 10,000-run mark. It must be noted that Bairstow also pulled out from The Hundred competition as he wanted to focus on the Test series against South Africa. Bairstow will be looking to emulate his good performances after making a comeback to the team's Test squad. 5. Ben Stokes (England) Team England Test skipper Ben Stokes is another batter on the list who can back himself to breach the 10,000 run mark in the Test format. The left-handed batter also retired from the ODI format to focus more on the Test and T20I formats. Ben Stokes has played 90 matches in the longest format of the game and has amassed 5652 runs at a decent average of 36. The left-handed batter has also scored 28 fifties and 12 centuries with his highest score being 258 runs against South Africa where he completely thrashed the Proteas bowling line-up. The English skipper will want to contribute heavily with the bat in order to lead his side from the front. Stokes is a match-winner with both bat and ball and he can change the scenario of a match within a few overs. 4. Kane Williamson (New Zealand) One of the finest batters across all three formats, New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson is a silent assassin. The right-handed batter makes batting look easy with his eye-catching strokes. The right-handed batter made his Test debut against India in 2010 and since then he has been a regular member of the Kiwi team across all three formats. Williamson has been the pillar of New Zealand batting in the longest format of the game as he has smashed 7651 runs in 91 matches at an astonishing average of 53.13. The Kiwi batter has also stroked 33 fifties and 25 centuries with his highest score being 251 runs. The stylish batter made a return to international cricket after a break against West Indies as he stroked 40+ runs in the first T20I match with New Zealand winning comfortably. Also read: 11 Test records that may never be broken 3. Kraigg Brathwaite (West Indies) West Indies Test skipper Kraigg Brathwaite is another name on the list who can go on to breach the 10,000-run mark in the Test format. The right-handed batter does not represent his country in the limited-over formats and has remained an integral part of the Test squad. Brathwaite generally opens the innings for his team and can bat for a long period. Despite being an opener, Brathwaite is very comfortable in playing spin bowling and has a good technique to face the pace bowling as well. Talking about his numbers in the Test format, the right-handed batter has played 83 matches and has crossed the 5,000-run mark, with 5303 runs to his name. Brathwaite has also stroked 28 half-centuries and 12 centuries for the West Indies in the longest format of the game. 2. Babar Azam (Pakistan) Pakistan skipper Babar Azam has become one of the most consistent batters across all three formats of the game and he will back himself to cross the 10,000-run mark in the Test arena. To note, Babar is ranked third in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Test batters rankings behind Joe Root and Marnus Labuschagne. Talking about his numbers in the Test format, Babar has played 47 Test matches and has scored 3696 runs at an excellent average of 48.63. The right-handed batter has also smashed 26 fifties and nine centuries in the longest format of the game with his highest being 196 runs. Babar made his Test debut against West Indies in 2016 and since then he has been a prominent member of the Test side. Unlike limited-over formats where he usually bats in the top order, Babar generally comes at number four to bat in the Test format and has played several match-winning knocks for his country. 1. Virat Kohli (India) Team India run-machine Virat Kohli is the prime contender to amass 10,000 runs in the Test format. Kohli made his Test debut against West Indies in 2011 and since then he has bossed several prominent bowling line-ups around the world. The right-handed batter has already crossed the 8,000-run mark in the Test format in 106 matches and he will want to breach the 10,000-run mark and add another record to his list. Kohli plays at an average of 48.49 in the longest format of the game and has stroked 27 centuries and 28 fifties. However, Kohli has been finding it hard to score runs these days in the longest format. Given his numbers in international cricket, Kohli is bound to make a strong comeback with the bat in red-ball cricket and reach 10,000 runs.

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Top 10 batters who can breach the 10,000-run mark in Test cricket

England batter Joe Root recently completed 10,000 runs in the Test format.

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