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Highest Indian Run-Scorers In Last Four IND vs ENG Test Series

image-lrrmt52cRohit Sharma in action against ENG in February 2021 (BCCI)

In the hallowed arena of Test cricket, the fierce rivalry between India and England has scripted countless sagas of skill, determination, and raw emotion. This enduring contest is poised to unfold on January 25 in Hyderabad, heralding a fresh five-match challenge that promises both exhilarating battles and profound narratives.

Over the last four Test series between these cricketing titans, spanning across the years 2016, 2018, and 2021; two names have consistently emerged as the stalwarts of India’s batting on both home soil and foreign shores. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, India’s veritable batting maestros, have not only weathered the challenges thrown by the English attack but have also headlined their team’s run-scoring saga.

Celebrating the 2024 Test series between the two sides, here at OneCricket, we take a reflective pause and look back at the past brilliance of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the cauldron of Test cricket against England.


1. Virat Kohli - 655 runs in 2016 series in India

image-lrrmx2l8Virat Kohli in November 2016 against England (AP)

Virat Kohli’s bat roared the most when Alastair Cook-led Englishmen arrived on Indian shores back in late 2016 for a five-match Test series. Leading India for the first time against England at home, Kohli started out with identical 40s in the first Test at Rajkot, and backed it up with a majestic 167 and 81 in the subsequent match at Vizag. His twin batting specials while countering the likes of James Anderson and Stuart Broad powered India to an emphatic series-leading 246-run win.

Kohli scored 62 and 6* in the third Test at Mohali, and pounded 235 at Mumbai to register his then career-best score. The modern-day batting legend concluded the series with 655 runs to his name from just eight innings, while maintaining a Bradman-esque average of 109.16. Such was his aura throughout the series that second-placed Joe Root found himself 164 runs behind the Indian batting veteran.

For his batting ventures, coupled with his leadership attributes that yielded a 4-0 win for Team India, Virat Kohli was fittingly adjudged as ‘Player of the Series’.


2. Virat Kohli - 593 runs in 2018 series in England

image-lrrmxuqlVirat Kohli celebrating his 22nd Test century in 2018 (x.com)

Shrugging off his 2014 demons from a torrid Indian tour of England, Virat Kohli plundered 593 runs in just 10 innings during his return Test trip to the country, this time as the captain of the Indian cricket team. Kohli, who had scored just 134 runs across five matches in England back in 2014, outscored his entire substandard tally in the first innings itself, as his counterattacking 149 at Birmingham took India to the brink of England’s total in the 2018 series opener.

Virat Kohli punched out scores of 97 and 103 at Trent Bridge to headline India’s 203-run win in the third Test, and piled up another half-century and a couple of 40s to finish the series as its highest run-getter. Even though Team India lost their five-match rubber by a 1-4 margin, the Indian captain bagged the ‘Player of the Series’ award alongside English all-rounder Sam Curran.


3. Rohit Sharma - 345 runs in 2021 series in India

image-lrrmyixgRohit Sharma in February 2021 against England (BCCI)

Opening the innings for India in their 2021 home series against England, Rohit Sharma failed to make any impact in Chennai as his side slumped to a huge 227-run defeat in the first Test. The cricketer made up for his twin failures in the very next innings, as he pounded 161 to account nearly half of India’s 329-run total at the same venue in the second Test match.

For his attacking knock, the cricketer was adjudged ‘Player of the Match’ as Team India brought the series to levelling terms with their 317-run win. A week later, Sharma packed scores of 66 and 25* on a turning Ahmedabad surface, and a crucial 49 in the series-decider to finish his four-match assignment at the top of India’s run-scoring ladder with 345 runs.

While Sharma was only bested by Joe Root (368 runs) on the list, the Indian opener maintained a better average (57.50) as opposed to the visiting Englishman (46).


4. Rohit Sharma - 368 runs in 2021 series in England

image-lrrn2fdyRohit Sharma in action against ENG in September 2021 (x.com)

Fresh from his batting success against England earlier in the year, Rohit Sharma headlined India’s batting line-up on tough English conditions during India’s return tour in August 2021. While the dashing opening batsman scored a cautious 36 at Trent Bridge, he showed first signs of intent in the second Test match at Lord’s by scoring a belligerent 83 in the first Indian innings.

Sharma also tallied a fighting 59 in his team’s losing cause at Leeds, before registering his then overseas best of 127 at The Oval to script one of India’s famous Test wins in England. Even though the cricketer missed the final Test match at Birmingham the following year, he finished the series as its third highest run-scorer behind Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow and the highest from his own country with 368 runs from just eight innings.