5 England Batsmen with most Test Runs against India

With the Test series just around the corner, England players are all in readiness to host the Indian Team for a 5 Match Test Series. The win against India in the ODI series has boosted their morale and despite the popular belief that England are a much better white ball side than a red ball side at the moment, the series is predicted to be a well contested one since India has its own set of questions to be addressed before the 1st Test.

Is Dhawan good enough at the top of the order in English conditions against a top quality bowling attack? Where will KL Rahul come in to bat if Dhawan and Vijay open? These are some questions that need more reflection from the team management. As far as England are concerned, they have a very different looking Test squad from their ODI outings- pacers James Anderson and Stuart Broad will return to business and so will Alastair Cook and Jennings.

It is going to be a fierce battle between the bat and the ball as the Indian pace attack looks good enough to exploit the conditions. Here are 5 English Batsmen with most Test Runs against India.

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#5 Ken Barrington (1959-1967)

Barrington scored 1355 runs against India

Ken Barrington was one of England’s most gifted batsman and had the unique ability to curb his natural instincts. It is one of the most difficult things in sports to unlearn a specific technique or style to learn more about the game- Barrington did it really well, going on to develop a defensive technique which was in stark contrast to his natural attacking game.

One of his memorable knocks includes a century against Australia in 1966, displaying every stroke in the cricket book and reaching to his century in just around 2 and a half hours of time.

Against India, Barrington, scored 1355 runs in 14 Tests, averaging a whopping 75.27, with the help of 3 centuries and 9 half centuries.

#4 David Gower (1979-1990)

Gower scored his first ever ball in Test Cricket for a boundary of a pull shot

The innocent young man who scored his first ever ball in Test Cricket for a boundary went on to become England’s most consistent batsman in the 1980s. While other batsmen seemed to go in and out of form, Gower was one of those batsmen who always looked in total control of their game and there was no apparent weakness in his game. On most occasions, it was David himself who gave his wicket away rather than the bowler earning it.

Perhaps the south paw’s most significant innings was his maiden Test Century against New Zealand which established him on the big stage. Gower made 111 of 253 deliveries in the first innings and had a great series to get a place in the all the important Ashes.

Against India, Gower scored 1391 runs at an average of 44.87. Gower made 2 tons and 6 fifties in the process.

#3 Kevin Pietersen (2006-2012)

Pieterson is arguably the most flamboyant English batsman

Few batsmen can make Cricket as exciting as Kevin Pietersen. Pietersen’s flamboyant strokes, his ability to stand tall while hitting the ball and yet maintaining the perfect balance, reaped him great rewards as a Test batsman. It isn’t for no reason that many consider Pietersen one of the great batsmen of the modern time. However, many have different views on the stylish right-handed batter.

Pietersen’s century in the Mumbai Test Match of 2012 on a turning track which troubled the entire England side is arguably one of the best innings by an England batsman on Indian soil.

His overall record against India is also pretty good with a total of 1581 runs in 16 matches. Pietersen reached them with 6 hundreds and 6 fifties.

#2 Graham Gooch (1979-1993)

Gooch scored over 22,000 runs in List A Cricket

Graham Gooch went on to become one of the most prolific and consistent run-getter in Professional Cricket. Gooch scored over 22,000 runs in List A Cricket and over 44,000 runs in First Class Cricket, all of that at a healthy average of well over 40. Gooch scored 8900 runs in Test Cricket and became one of the great players to have ever played in England jersey.

One of his most memorable knocks is his knock of 123 runs against West Indies in 1980.

Against India, Gooch accumulated 1725 Test runs including a Triple century and averaged 55.64 (5 hundreds and 8 fifties in total).

#1 Alastair Cook (2006-Present)

Cook is the only active player featuring in this list

One of England’s great Test batsmen, Cook is not the most flamboyant left-handed batsmen but certainly one of the most effective that the game has ever seen. Cook is the only active player featuring in this list and has come to define commitment and a will to improve year after year and season after season. Cook had the grit and the hunger for runs which made him stand out under any situation and made him a successful Test Batsman.

One of his most significant innings came in Abu Dhabi against Pakistan when he scored 263 runs lasting close to 14 Hours on the pitch, making it the third longest innings ever.

Against India, Cook has made 2104 runs in 24 Matches at an average of just above 50, higher than his Career average of 45.64. Cook would be eager to add a few vital runs to his tally and try and help England win the all-important season.