Who has scored the most runs at each batting position in Tests?

Opening (#1 and #2) - Sir Alastair Cook (11,845 runs)

He did not quite fulfill the prophecy of breaking Sachin Tendulkar’s record, but Alastair Cook, nevertheless, ended up scoring more runs than any batter in the history of Test cricket as an opener. The former England skipper opened the batting 278 times and amassed a whopping 11,845 runs, scoring 31 tons. In fact, Cook is the only batter in Test history to have scored more than 10,000 runs as an opener. The great Sunil Gavaskar (9,607 runs as an opener) missed out on that achievement by 393 runs. 

No.3 - Kumar Sangakkara (11,679 runs) 

Kumar Sangakkara batted in six different positions in his Test career, but, despite that, he bossed the No.3 position like nobody else in the game. The flamboyant left-hander scored more runs (11,679) and hundreds (37) at the No.3 position than any other batter in the game’s history, in the longest format. In fact, Sangakkara’s average of 60.82 at No.3 is the highest among all batters who have scored 6,000 or more runs in that particular position.

No.4 - Sachin Tendulkar (13,492 runs)

You know who the top-two run-getters in Test history are? Well, the first is Sachin Tendulkar, with 15,921 runs. The second, it turns out, is Sachin Tendulkar at No.4. That’s right, the Little Master scored 84.7% of his Test runs batting at No.4, with him smashing 44 of his 51 Test hundreds in the very same position. Sachin has scored close to 4,000 runs more than any other batter at No.4 in Tests — the second in the list, interestingly, is Mahela Jayawardene with 9,509 in the position. 

No.5 - Shivnarine Chanderpaul (6,883 runs) 

No.5 is generally quite a tricky / awkward position to bat at, but Shivnarine Chanderpaul embraced it like no other batter did. The southpaw batted there more times (151 innings) than any other batter and accumulated 6,883 runs, averaging 56.41. What’s fascinating about Chanderpaul is that, curiously, he fared even better at No.6, averaging 64.82, scoring a hundred every 7 innings (7 hundreds in 49 innings). Truly one of the greats of the game. 

No.6 - Steve Waugh (3,165 runs)

Steve Waugh scored only 129 runs fewer than Chanderpaul at No.5, but he tops the list among No.6 batters. He is one among two batters to have scored over 3,000 runs batting at No.6. The other? Asad Shafiq (3,011 runs). But you suspect this record, within the next 6 months if not sooner, will be broken by Ben Stokes, who currently is only 323 runs behind the former Australian skipper.

No.7 - Adam Gilchrist (3,948 runs)

Like in the case of Sachin at No.4, no surprises here — Gilchrist has scored more runs at No.7 than any other batter and, arguably, is the greatest No.7 in the history of the game. Gilchrist, quite remarkably, scored 12 hundreds batting at No.7, six more than anyone else (the second-best being Ian Botham with 6). He also averaged 46.44 — the highest among all batters who have scored 1,750 runs or more batting at No.7. 

No.8 - Daniel Vettori (2,227 runs)

Quite honestly, it’s a shame that Vettori played 40% of his Test career at No.9 or lower. Because whenever he batted in the Top 8, the former New Zealand skipper averaged 35.01. At No.8, in fact, he scored more runs than any other batter in Test history (2,227 runs) and averaged a staggering 39.76. Just to put this average into context, among batters who have scored 1,000 or more runs at No.8, Mark Boucher (36.50) is the only other player to boast an average north of 35.00. 

No.9 - Stuart Broad (1,319 runs)

Only five batters in Test history have scored 1,000 or more runs at No.9, and no one has scored as many as Stuart Broad (1,139). While it is true that Broad’s batting has been on a severe decline for years now, the southpaw, in the first six years of his Test career, averaged 23.13 at No.9. He’s struck three fifties at No.9 and has even posted a high-score of 169 that came against Pakistan in the infamous Lord’s Test in 2010. Oh, and the other four batters to have scored over 1,000 runs at No.9 are Dan Vettori (1,105), Mitchell Starc (1,039), Tim Southee (1,035) and Brett Lee (1,003). In the form he is in, Starc might fancy usurping Broad in the next 18 months or so.

No.10 - Stuart Broad (786 runs)

At No.10, too, is Stuart Broad. As things stand, he is the only player in Test history to hold the ‘top-scorer’ badge at two different batting positions. That being said, another Aussie might be gunning for this record. Nathan Lyon currently has 659 runs to his name at No.10; given the fact that the ‘GOAT’ has improved his batting drastically in the past couple of years, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Lyon eventually go past Broad.

No.11 - Trent Boult (640 runs)

Trent Boult started Day 5 of the second Test against England needing one more run to go past Muralitharan. To truly prove that he’s worthy of holding the record, the speedster smashed 17 runs. With every passing Test, Boult, then, is proving that he arguably is the best No.11 to have ever played the game — his average at No.11 is now 16.41; among players who have scored 300 or more runs at No.11, this is the highest. Although, it has to be said, Jimmy Anderson is only 32 runs behind. Anderson will break Boult’s record and heart alike should he score 33 or more runs in the fourth innings tonight.