Test centuries are always special.
In a format where patience and temperament are the key attributes, a batsman scoring in a limited-overs approach and getting success with it is definitely a value addition.
Brendon McCullum’s 54-ball century in his final Test match against Australia is the fastest in Test cricket, followed by 56-ball knocks from two batsmen of a different era: Vivian Richards and Misbah-ul-Haq.
Team India, known for its conservative approaches in Tests, also has a few names on the other side of the batting sorts. The country, which has produced Sunil Gavaskar and Rahul Dravid, also had the pleasures of the representations from the players like Kapil Dev and Virender Sehwag.
This article will discuss the ten fastest centuries in Test cricket by Indian batsmen (and find the same list for ODIs here).
Fastest Test Centuries for Team India
| BALLS TAKEN TO CENTURY | BATSMEN | OPPONENT | FINAL SCORE | RESULT | VENUE | YEAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 74 | Kapil Dev | Sri Lanka | 163 | DRAW | Kanpur | 1986 |
| 74 | Mohammed Azharuddin | South Africa | 109 | LOST | Calcutta | 1996 |
| 78 | Virender Sehwag | West Indies | 180 | DRAW | Gros Islet | 2006 |
| 85 | Shikhar Dhawan | Australia | 187 | WON | Mohali | 2013 |
| 86 | Kapil Dev | England | 116 | DRAW | Kanpur | 1982 |
| 86 | Hardik Pandya | Sri Lanka | 108 | WON | Pallekele | 2017 |
| 87 | Mohammed Azharuddin | England | 121 | LOST | Lord's | 1990 |
| 87 | Virender Sehwag | Sri Lanka | 201 | WON | Galle | 2008 |
| 87 | Virender Sehwag | South Africa | 165 | WON | Kolkata | 2010 |
| 87 | Shikhar Dhawan | Afghanistan | 107 | WON | Bengaluru | 2018 |
Stats Insights
Virender Sehwag has the highest number of entries in the top ten list – 3. He also has 3 other Test centuries that came in less than 100 balls – two centuries in 90 balls and one in 93 balls.
Sehwag’s 78-ball century against West Indies in Gros Islet is also the fastest Indian Test century in a foreign land.
Shikhar Dhawan’s 85-ball Test ton against Australia in his debut Test match is the fastest Indian century in a winning cause. It is also the highest debut Test score by an Indian batsman.
Both Kapil Dev’s pacy knocks came in the Tests held in Kanpur, with Kolkata being the other venue to host two of the above-listed knocks.
