Most consecutive hundreds in Test matches

Former Australian batter Donald Bradman holds the record for most consecutive hundreds in Test matches when he hit six centuries on the trot in 1937-38.

Regarded as one of the greatest cricketers of all time, Bradman began his century-scoring spree with a couple of double hundreds (270 and 212) in the third and fourth match of the England tour of Australia 1937, both of which resulted in dominating wins for the hosts.

He scored yet another century (169) in the deciding game of the tour to win it for the Aussies by a mammoth margin of an innings and 200 runs.

A year later, Australia travelled to England for a five-match series, but the change in conditions did not have any effect on Donald Bradman as he kept going with his usual business of scoring runs for fun.

He followed the three centuries scored in 1937 against the same opponent with three more (144*, 102*, 103) in the first, second and fourth matches, respectively. The series ended in a 1-1 draw after the third match was abandoned without a bowl being bowled.

Three players, South Africa’s Jacques Kallis, Pakistan’s Mohammad Yousuf and Gautam Gambhir of India, have registered five successive centuries to feature on the list of players with the most consecutive hundreds in Test matches.

While Jacques Kallis achieved the feat between December 2003 and March 2004 with four centuries against West Indies and one against New Zealand, Mohammad Yousuf smashed his five consecutive centuries in 2006 itself, with two being hit against England and three versus West Indies.

Gautam Gambhir, India’s hero in the T20 World Cup 2007 and 50-over World Cup 2011, was equally sound with his batting ability in the longest format of the game.

He scored nine centuries in 58 Tests, five of which came in back-to-back matches between March 2009 and January 2010.

The southpaw scored 137 and 167 against the Kiwis in the second and third Test of the India tour of New Zealand 2009. Both matches ended in a draw.

Gambhir continued his fine form with two more centuries against Sri Lanka at home later in the same year and rounded off with his fifth consecutive ton against Bangladesh at Chattogram in January 2010.

Interestingly, Donald Bradman features again in the list of most consecutive hundreds in Test matches, having smashed four tons on the trot twice, each against England and South Africa between 1929 and 1931.

A host of other cricketers have scored four back-to-back centuries in Test matches, including Indians Sunil Gavaskar, Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar. West Indies’ Everton Weekes also did so in his debut year in 1948.