Major Indian and International Cricket Records

Cricket records are important revision points for competitive exams because they capture the sport’s changing formats, tactical shifts and individual milestones. Across Tests, ODIs and T20Is, these benchmarks help identify leading players, highest scores and major team totals.

Historical Evolution of Cricket Formats

• First Test match: Australia and England played the first officially recognised Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in March 1877.
• First ODI: The first One-Day International was also between Australia and England at the MCG on January 5, 1971, originally played with 40 eight-ball overs per side.
• First men’s T20I: Australia and New Zealand played the first men’s T20 International on February 17, 2005, at Eden Park, Auckland.
• T20I format: This format introduced a 20-over limit and fielding restrictions, making the game faster and more high-scoring.

All-Time Individual Batting Records

• Sachin Tendulkar: He holds the record for the most runs in Test cricket (15,921) and ODI cricket (18,426).
• International centuries: Tendulkar is the only player to score 100 international centuries, including 51 in Tests and 49 in ODIs.
• Virat Kohli: He has 85 international centuries — 54 in ODIs, 30 in Tests and one in T20Is.
• Brian Lara: The former West Indies captain holds the record for the highest individual Test score, 400 not out against England in April 2004.
• Rohit Sharma: He holds the highest individual score in ODIs, 264 against Sri Lanka on November 13, 2014.
• ODI double centuries: Rohit Sharma is the only player to have scored three double-centuries in ODIs.
• Babar Azam: He is the leading run-scorer in men’s T20I history with 4,596 runs.
• Sahibzada Farhan: He scored 383 runs in the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup, the most runs in a single edition of the tournament, surpassing Virat Kohli’s 319 runs in 2014.

Historic Benchmarks in Women’s Cricket

• Smriti Mandhana: She is the all-time leading run-scorer in women’s international cricket across formats with 10,880 runs.
• Previous record: Mandhana surpassed Mithali Raj’s tally of 10,868 runs.
• Most centuries: Mandhana also holds the record for the most centuries in women’s international cricket across formats with 18.
• Earlier benchmarks: She moved ahead of Meg Lanning and South Africa’s Laura Wolvaardt.
• Highest women’s ODI team total: New Zealand holds the record with 490/4 against Ireland in Dublin on June 8, 2018.

Global Bowling and All-Round Records

• Ravichandran Ashwin: He retired from international cricket in late 2024 with 537 Test wickets in 106 matches.
• Test Player of the Series awards: Ashwin equalled Muttiah Muralitharan’s world record of 11 Test Player of the Series awards.
• Rohit Sharma: He holds the record for the most sixes in international cricket across formats with 662 sixes.
• ODI sixes: Rohit also has the world record for most sixes in ODIs with 369.
• T20I sixes: He holds the individual world record for most sixes in T20Is with 205.

Highest Team Totals Across Formats

Key Prelims Takeaways

• Sachin Tendulkar: Highest run-scorer in Tests and ODIs; only player with 100 international centuries.
• Virat Kohli: Has 85 international centuries, including 54 in ODIs.
• Rohit Sharma: Holds the ODI batting record of 264 and the overall six-hitting record across formats.
• Brian Lara: Scored the highest individual Test innings of 400 not out.
• Smriti Mandhana: Leads women’s international cricket in both runs and centuries across formats.
• Ravichandran Ashwin: Finished with 537 Test wickets and 11 Test Player of the Series awards.
• Zimbabwe: Holds the highest men’s T20I team total with 344/4 against Gambia.