Most catches in Test cricket
Having a safe pair of hands is vital for any fielder playing cricket at the international level. A player always looks to grab the catch irrespective of the fielding position. Test cricket is the longest and the oldest format of the game and some absolutely legendary cricketers have had bucket type of hands in their respective careers. They hardly dropped any catches that came their way while playing in the ‘Whites’ and they appear in this elite list.
Let’s take a look at the most catches taken by players in the history of Test cricket:
3. Jacques Kallis (200)
Former South African legend Jacques Kallis occupies the third spot for grabbing the most catches as a fielder in the history of Test cricket. In 315 innings, Jacques took exactly 200 catches since his debut against England in Durban in 1995. The all-rounder played 166 Tests and his last appearance came against India at the same venue nine years back in 2013. As a batter, he scored 13289 runs in 280 innings at an average of 55.37 with 45 centuries and 58 fifties with the highest score of 224. He also snared 292 scalps in 272 innings at an average of 32.65 with best figures of 6/54
2. Mahela Jayawardene (205)
Former Sri Lanka batter Mahela Jayawardene finds himself in the second position in this chart. The Lankan legend held onto 205 catches in 270 innings in his entire Test career. Having made his debut against India in Colombo (RPS) in the year 1997, Jayawardene appeared in 149 Test games for the Lankan Lions. The classy right-handed batter smashed 11814 runs in 252 innings at an average of 49.87 with 34 centuries and 50 half-centuries and the best score of 374. His last Test appearance came against Pakistan in Colombo (SSC) eight years back in 2014.
1. Rahul Dravid (209)
Rahul Dravid had the safest pairs of hands in Test cricket’s history and he proved that by topping this list. One of the greatest players that India ever produced, Dravid, generally a slip fielder, grabbed 209 catches in 301 innings. The legendary player made his debut in the whites against England at the historic Lord’s stadium in June 1996. The right-handed batter scored 13288 runs in 286 innings at an average of 52.31 with 36 hundreds and 63 fifties and the highest score of 270. He stepped onto the field one last time in the format against Australia in 2012 in Adelaide.
