Often hailed as one of the most prestigious formats of the game, test cricket has witnessed numerous prominent batsmen in the past who have not only dominated the ruthless bowlers of the opponent team but have also led their teams to record-breaking sensational victories with their spine-chilling batting prowess, even under the most excruciating situations on the field. From Brian Lara to Mark Taylor, the glorious history of the test cricket format that spans over decades has witnessed a star-studded lineup of batsmen who have created a benchmark for generations to come and have managed to surpass the classic 400 runs mark in a single test.
India’s current test captain, Shubhman Gill, recently joined the list of reigning cricketers who have successfully scored over 400 runs in a single test after he scored a total of 269 and 161 runs in two innings in the ongoing 2025 test series against England at Edgbaston in Birmingham. Have you ever wondered about the top four iconic cricketers who have left the fans stunned after crossing the benchmark of 400 runs in a single test? Well, let’s find out.
In this article we will take a look at the top four cricketers who have scored over 400 runs in a single test.
Top 4 Batsmen Who Scored Over 400 Runs in a Single Test
Graham Gooch, Lord’s – 456 Runs
Often hailed as one of the greatest opening batsmen of his generation, the legendary former English first-class cricketer, Graham Gooch, who captained Essex and England, is at the first spot in our list of the top four batsmen who have created history after smashing over 400 runs in a single test. Throughout his glorious international cricketing career that spanned from 1973 to 1997, Graham Gooch played a total of 118 test matches and scored a record total of 8,900 runs at an average of 42.6 and a phenomenal strike rate of 49.2.
The sensational English opener destroyed India’s bowling attack during the first test match of the 1990 England vs India Series held at the Lord’s Cricket Ground, Londoj from July 26–31, 1990. Gooch opened the innings for England and scored a sensational knock of 333 runs, including 43 boundaries and three high-flying sixes.
Well, although the Indian bowlers, including Kapil Dev and Anil Kumble, left no stone unturned in dismissing the English opener, he came out blazing and scored 123 runs off 113 balls in the second innings. With a total of 456 runs, Graham Gooch not only assisted England to defeat India by a huge margin of 247 runs but also established himself as the top-scorer in the test format.
Shubhman Gill, Edgbaston – 430 Runs
At the second spot in our list of the top four cricketers who have scored over 400 runs in a single test, we have the iconic Indian international cricketer and the captain of the Indian national cricket team in the test format, Shubhman Gill. As of now, Shubham Gill has played a total of 34 test matches and has amassed a total of 2,578 runs at an average of 42.7 and a phenomenal strike rate of 62.7. Often popularly referred to as the “Prince of Cricket”, Shubhman Gill delivered one of the most decorated and reigning test innings of his career so far in the second test match of the ongoing India tour of England 2025 at Edgbaston, Birmingham.
The skipper of the Indian test squad, Shubhman Gill, scored a formidable total of 269 runs in the first innings and delivered a spine-chilling knock of 161 runs in the second innings and established himself as the highest-scoring Indian cricketer in a single test and the second-highest run scorer in the world after Graham Gooch. Additionally, after his stellar knock of 430 runs against England at Edgbaston, Gill also established himself as the first-ever Indian skipper to cross the benchmark of 400 runs in a single test.
Mark Taylor, Arbab Niaz Stadium – 426 Runs
The legendary former Australian cricketer and current Nine Network commentator, Mark Taylor, who served as the captain of the Australian squad which finished as runners-up at the 1996 Cricket World Cup, is at the third spot in our list of the top four batsmen who have created history after smashing over 400 runs in a single test.
Throughout his star-studded international cricketing career that lasted from 1989 to 1999, Mark Taylor represented the Aussies in a total of 104 test matches and amassed a total of 7,525 runs at an average of 43.5 and a strike rate of 41.5, speaking volumes about the rich legacy that he has left behind after he announced his retirement from the test format on 2 February 1999.
Out of all the tests that he played in his career, the second match of the Australia tour of Pakistan in 1998 turned out to be the most memorable and successful match of his entire career. Mark Taylor smashed a total of 426 runs against Pakistan at the Arbab Niaz Stadium, Peshawar. Although the match was drawn, Taylor grabbed immense recognition and appreciation from cricket aficionados from all over the world for his dominating innings of 426 runs.
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Kumar Sangakkara, Chattogram – 424 Runs
Finally, at the fourth spot in our list of the top four cricketers who have scored over 400 runs in a single test, we have the legendary Sri Lankan former professional cricketer Kumar Sangakkara, who represented Sri Lanka across all formats of international cricket from 2000 to 2015. Often hailed as one of the most prolific wicket-keeping batsmen of all-time, Kumar Sangakkara played a total of 134 test matches and scored a record total of 12,400 runs at a phenomenal average of 57.4 and a strike rate of 54.2. Throughout his star-studded test career, Kumar Sangakkara delivered numerous sensational and match-winning knocks for Sri Lanka.
However, his spine-chilling 424-run stellar knock against Bangladesh during the second test match of the Sri Lanka tour of Bangladesh, 2014, is still hailed as one of the most iconic knocks of his entire career. Kumar Sangakkara walked in at No.3 in the second test match of the 2014 Sri Lanka tour of Bangladesh, 2014 and delivered a stellar knock of 319 runs against Bangladesh’s ruthless bowling attack.
While the Bangladesh bowlers were already struggling, Sangakkara made the situation even more intense after scoring a phenomenal 105 runs off 144 deliveries in the second innings and establishing himself as the second player to score a triple century and a century in the same match, joining Graham Gooch.
