The India vs England Test series is finally underway! The two nations have played out the inaugural day of the first Test match in Hyderabad. The five-match Test series is a part of the World Test Championship (WTC) Cycle, 2023-25.
India, playing at home, have been a bully towards their opponents. Indians have not lost a series in home soil since England's win in the 2012-13 season. It would be safe to say that India has not been a hunting ground for opponents, who are on a visit to the peninsular country.
However tough it has been, the overseas batsmen have had some respite in terms of numbers. The Indian pitches have been easier to score runs on, if the batters are decent players of spin. The last time an overseas batter scored a century in India was in 2023. The Aussies visited India for a four-match Test Series in February - March.
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Who is the last overseas batsman to score a Test hundred in India?
English batsman Ollie Pope became the most recent overseas batsman to score a Test hundred in India, and his fifth overall. Pope became only the second visiting batsman after Sri Lanka's Dimuth Karunaratne to score a ton in the 2nd innings of a Test in India since 2018.
Before Pope, the last overseas batsman to score a Test hundred against India in their own backyard was Cameron Green. In the first innings of the fourth and final Test match in Ahmedabad, the Aussie all-rounder struck 114 runs off his blade in just 170 balls.
Green was the second batter to score a century in the same innings, alongside Usman Khawaja. However, Green's century came after Khawaja's and so is the most-recent batter to hit a 100-run knock against India on Indian soil.
The 24-year-old hit 18 boundaries in his knock, at a strike-rate of 67.05. Green's stay at the crease was cut short by Ravi Ashwin, who dismissed him for a well-made 114.
How many overseas batsmen have scored a Test 100 in India in the last 10 years?
Interstingly, batting in India in Tests has become a much harder in the last 10 years, mainly because of the home team's preference to play on spinning decks.
It has meant that visiting batsmen have had to graft against two great spinners in Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, not an easy task by any means.
In fact, only 18 overseas batsmen have scored a 100 in India in the last 10 years in Tests. And Steve Smith is the batsman with the most - three hundreds.
MORE: Why is Cameron Green playing despite testing positive for COVID?
List of Overseas batsmen to score 100 in India in past 10 years
| Player | Team | Runs | Balls | Strike Rate | 4s/6s | Test / Innings | Year | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Root | England | 124 | 180 | 68.88 | 11/1 | 1 / 1 | 2016 | Rajkot |
| Moeen Ali | England | 117 | 213 | 54.92 | 13/0 | 1 / 1 | 2016 | Rajkot |
| Ben Stokes | England | 128 | 235 | 54.46 | 13/2 | 1 / 1 | 2016 | Rajkot |
| Alastair Cook | England | 130 | 243 | 53.49 | 13/0 | 1 / 2 | 2016 | Rajkot |
| Keaton Jennings | England | 112 | 219 | 51.14 | 13/0 | 4 / 1 | 2016 | Mumbai |
| Moeen Ali | England | 146 | 262 | 55.72 | 13/1 | 5 / 1 | 2016 | Chennai |
| Mushfiqur Rahim | Bangladesh | 127 | 262 | 48.47 | 16/2 | Only / 1 | 2017 | Hyderabad |
| Steven Smith | Australia | 109 | 202 | 53.96 | 11/0 | 1 / 2 | 2017 | Pune |
| Steven Smith | Australia | 178* | 361 | 49.30 | 17/0 | 3 / 1 | 2017 | Ranchi |
| Glenn Maxwell | Australia | 104 | 185 | 56.21 | 9/2 | 3 / 1 | 2017 | Ranchi |
| Steven Smith | Australia | 117 | 172 | 64.16 | 14/0 | 4 / 1 | 2017 | Dharamsala |
| Angelo Matthews | Sri Lanka | 111 | 268 | 41.41 | 14/2 | 3 / 1 | 2017 | Delhi |
| Dinesh Chandimal | Sri Lanka | 164 | 261 | 45.42 | 21/1 | 3 / 1 | 2017 | Delhi |
| Dhananjaya De Silva | Sri Lanka | 119 | 219 | 54.33 | 15/1 | 3 / 2 | 2017 | Delhi |
| Roston Chase | West Indies | 106 | 189 | 56.08 | 8/1 | 2 / 1 | 2018 | Hyderabad |
| Dean Elgar | South Africa | 160 | 287 | 55.74 | 18/4 | 1 / 1 | 2019 | Visakhapatnam |
| Quinton De Kock | South Africa | 111 | 163 | 68.09 | 16/2 | 1 / 1 | 2019 | Visakhapatnam |
| Joe Root | England | 218 | 377 | 57.82 | 19/2 | 1 / 1 | 2021 | Chennai |
| Dimuth Karunaratne | Sri Lanka | 107 | 174 | 61.49 | 15/0 | 2 / 2 | 2022 | Bengaluru |
| Usman Khawaja | Australia | 180 | 422 | 42.65 | 21/0 | 4 / 1 | 2023 | Ahmedabad |
| Cameron Green | Australia | 114 | 170 | 67.05 | 18/0 | 4 / 1 | 2023 | Ahmedabad |
| Ollie Pope* | England | 148* | 208 | 71.15 | 17/0 | 1 / 2 | 2024 | Hyderabad |
* indicates that the player is still playing as you read this.
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