Making hundreds a habit

Gautam Gambhir recently scored a century in five consecutive Tests, beginning in Napier and ending in Chittagong, where Sachin Tendulkar began a streak of hundreds in four consecutive matches. Tendulkar's Chittagong ton was followed by centuries in Dhaka, and against South Africa in Nagpur and Kolkata - which was India's most recent Test. It means India have had a centurion in their last eight matches, which is part of the second longest streak of Tests a team has had where at least one batsman has made a hundred.

India's run of Tests with at least one century began in October 2008, against Australia in Mohali, where Sourav Ganguly and Gautam Gambhir celebrated hundreds. Since then, one (sometimes two) out of Gambhir, Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and Virender Sehwag have scored centuries, against Australia in Delhi and Nagpur, against England in Chennai and Mohali, and in Hamilton. That run has now been extended to 15 Tests, and the home series in October 2010 gives India the opportunity to beat the longest ever streak.

That, predictably, belongs to the Australian juggernaut of the early 2000s. Their batsmen scored hundreds in 17 successive Tests between December 2002 and March 2004. They lost only three of those games - in Sydney, where Michael Vaughan made 183; the highest ever run-chase in Antigua; and in Adelaide, where Ricky Ponting's 242 became the highest individual score in a defeat.

The first 10 Tests of Australia's 17 form the longest streak of matches in which at least two batsmen made centuries for a team. Justin Langer and Matthew Hayden began the run at the MCG and it continued until Ponting and Hayden scored centuries against Zimbabwe at the SCG in October 2003. The run ended when only Langer managed a century in the Brisbane Test against India.

The last seven matches of India's current streak of 15 Tests with a hundred have included two centuries from Indian batsmen. India had four centuries in two of those matches - against Sri Lanka in Ahmedabad and against South Africa in Kolkata - and three in one, against Sri Lanka in Kanpur.

Australia also held the record for five-fors in most consecutive Tests - 17 between July 1905 and February 1911. That mark was beaten by Clive Lloyd's West Indian bowlers, who claimed a five-for in each of 18 matches between November 1983 and December 1984.

That one bowler was able to take a five-for in each match was remarkable considering the formidable components that made up the West Indian attack - Joel Garner, Michael Holding, Andy Roberts, Wayne Daniel and a young Courtney Walsh. It was Malcolm Marshall who was responsible for most of the five-wicket hauls, taking 11 in 10 Tests. In the games in which Marshall missed out, Garner (four five-fors), Holding (three), Daniel and Roger Harper (one each) cashed in.

The record for most consecutive ODIs with a century in each is six. Sri Lanka achieved it first during their 5-0 rout of England in 2006, followed by their world-record 443 against Netherlands in Amstelveen - Jayasuriya scored three hundreds, Jayawardene and Tharanga two each, and Sangakkara and Dilshan one apiece.

Their run was equalled by Australia, who began their streak of six ODIs with centuries in Auckland in Feb 2007 and carried it into the first four matches of the World Cup. They may have gone on, but Bangladesh were kept to 104 in the first innings of a match that was reduced to 22 overs a side.

Teams have taken four-fors in four consecutive ODIs on ten different occasions but no one has managed to do five in a row. Australia were the first, in 1979-80, and Sri Lanka were the most recent team to do it in 2008

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