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Have you ever asked yourself who holds the record for each position in the batting order when it comes to scoring hundreds? Considering the numbers, in terms of sheer results, the numbers tell quite a story about different greats that made each position in the batting order, their own.
Opening Position Records Across Formats
The opening position has clearly provided a platform for some absolute legends to pile up huge runs.
Sachin Tendulkar unsurprisingly leads the way for ODI openers with 45 ODI hundreds when he was opening the batting. That is not even close to being matched by anyone else. The Master Blaster began pioneering his way through the batting order, before moving to the top of the order in 1994 and once he did, there was simply no turning back.
In terms of Tests, it is Sunil Gavaskar who is on top with 33 Test hundreds as an opener, before the others start creeping up with Alastair Cook 31 in second and Matthew Hayden 30 in third. These boys knew how to face the new ball and leave the mark!
In terms of T20Is, Rohit Sharma has actually gotten 5 hundreds opening the batting. No one has even come close. That makes him the most successful at that position in T20Is!
Number Three Slot Leaders
The first drop position has also put up some seriously good numbers.
Virat Kohli has piled up 36 ODI hundreds batting at number 3 which is seven ahead of Ricky Ponting, sitting second with 29. Kohli made that position his position and rarely batted anywhere else after he cemented himself there.
Kumar Sangakkara holds the Test record for number 3 batting with 37 hundreds, Ponting has the second most with 32 hundreds, and Kane Williamson is next with 31 hundreds. These three batters really knew how to build an innings from that position.
For T20Is, the numbers drop a lot. Leslie Dunbar and Rilee Rossouw each have 2 T20I hundreds batting at number 3. In that particular format, batters do not get a lot of time to "settle in," so getting to three figures batting in any position is hard.
Middle Order Mastery
Number four has been home to some of cricket's biggest run machines. Key stats for position four: Sachin Tendulkar leads Test cricket with 44 hundreds at four Ross Taylor tops ODIs with 19 hundreds at four Glenn Maxwell has 4 T20I hundreds at four Jacques Kallis comes second in Tests with 35 hundreds Tendulkar's 44 Test hundreds at four is a record that looks really hard to beat. He also scored 51 total Test hundreds during his career, meaning most of them came from this position. On Khelofun, fans can check out detailed stats about how these participants built their careers around specific positions. Lower Middle Order Numbers Position five indicates where teams typically position their finishers and all-rounders. Steve Waugh has 24 Test hundreds at position five, Michael Clarke follows with 20. Both of these legendary Australian athletes demonstrated the idea that batting lower does not mean scoring less.
Yuvraj Singh produced 7 ODI hundreds at position five, AB de Villiers is behind with six. Both were known for their explosive batting from this position, changing the game in moments.
The Keepers' Territory Positions six and seven are usually made up of wicket-keepers or all-rounders, even if they were used higher up the order. Jos Buttler has scored 4 ODI hundreds batting at six before moving up later on in his career. Asad Shafiq and Ben Stokes both scored nine hundreds batting at six for their Tests.
Adam Gilchrist holds the record for position seven in Tests with 12 hundreds, the most ever by a wicket-keeper in Test history. MS Dhoni has two ODI hundreds batting at seven, no other ODI contestant has more than one from this position. Lower Order Achievements Notable lower order records: Daniel Vettori and Ravichandran Ashwin have 4 Test hundreds each at eight Simi Singh and Mehidy Hasan each scored 1 ODI hundred at eight Saber Zakhil has the only T20I hundred from position eight No one has scored a T20I hundred from positions 7, 9, 10, or 11 These tail-enders proving they can score hundreds shows that modern cricket demands more from everyone who picks up a bat. Format Differences Matter Looking at all three formats shows how different they are. Test cricket lets batters settle in and build big scores, which is why the hundreds pile up at most positions. ODIs require balancing time with scoring rate. T20Is barely give anyone time to reach three figures, making every hundred special. Khelofun tracks all these records across formats, helping followers understand how batting positions work differently in each version of the game. What The Numbers Show These records prove that certain positions suit certain competitor types. Openers face fresh bowling but get time to bat long. Middle order batters need to adapt to different situations. Lower order athletes often come in during pressure moments. The greats found their spot and made it their own. Whether opening like Tendulkar, anchoring at three like Sangakkara, or finishing from seven like Gilchrist, they showed that mastering one position beats being average at many.