One of the finest elements of Test cricket would be a well-struck boundary. It is an epic tome of the batsmen’s stature, as it can be extremely difficult to pull off such a stroke. Yet, there have been some stunning innings by top batsmen over the years. They have been able to hit more than just a handful of boundaries. Here is a top 20 list of the most fours in Test innings by a player:

John Edrich – 52 boundaries (450 balls)

John Edrich played a spectacular inning as he helped England to get a victory by an innings and 187 runs against New Zealand back in 1965. Edrich was able to put up 310 not out from 450 balls. The innings comprised 52 fours and 5 sixes. These figures have been able to stand as the most fours in Test innings by a player for more than five decades. He managed to finish the game with an awe-inspiring strike rate of 68.88.

Virender Sehwag – 47 boundaries (247 balls)

An explosive inning from Virender Sehwag is not a huge surprise, but he was able to do so against India’s arch-rivals Pakistan in 2006. Sehwag responded to Pakistan’s brilliant first innings with 254 from just 247 balls. There were a staggering 47 fours in the game with just one six. This innings from Sehwag fell just short of hitting the record for most fours in Test innings by a player.

Don Bradman – 46 boundaries (448 balls)

Don is widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of the game. It is no surprise that he features in the list of most fours in Test innings by a player for his 46 boundaries in the innings which yielded a spectacular 334 against England back in 1930. Despite these incredible innings, though, Australia was only able to draw the game. The triple century from Bradman is the best contribution from the entire Australian line-up.

Brian Lara – 45 boundaries (538 balls)

Brian Lara is one of the greatest modern-day West Indies batsmen. He was able to come up with one of his finest knocks of 375 from 538 balls in 1994 against England. This inning included 45 boundaries but there were no sixes. Lara’s innings were crucial in getting a draw with England. This innings from Lara was also the crucial factor that helped West Indies get some pride after a disappointing home loss in the series.

V.V.S. Laxman – 44 boundaries (452 balls)

Australia’s tour of India back in 2001 witnessed a very tight match unfold at Eden Gardens but India came out successful with a 171 run margin thanks to V.V.S. Laxman’s fine innings of 281. Despite mediocre first innings, Laxman came good in the second with 281 from 452 balls. There were no sixes but a staggering 44 boundaries to help him post a strike rate of 62.16.

Don Bradman – 43 boundaries (473 balls)

Don Bradman once again features on this list after having helped Australia do quite well on the tour of England in 1934. Bradman’s triple century innings of 304 featured 43 fours and two sixes. This innings along with a 181 from Bill Ponsford helped Australia draw the game. Such innings were a very crucial factor behind Bradman becoming established as one of the big names in world cricket several decades ago.

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Graeme Pollock – 43 boundaries (401 balls)

Graeme Pollock is widely regarded as one of the finest batsmen from South Africa. He was able to prove the same with an innings that yielded 274 runs in the Test match against Australia in 1970. His runs came off 401 balls as it featured 43 boundaries to come up with an impressive strike rate of 68.32.

Graham Gooch – 43 boundaries (485 balls)

Graham Gooch was one of the top batsmen in the England batting line-up of his days. The captain opened the innings against India back in 1990 and hit a whopping 333 from just 485 balls. This triple century featured a 68.65 strike rate after encountering 43 fours and three sixes. Even though the likes of Alan Lamb and Robin Smith were also able to hit a century, the innings from Gooch were a significant factor behind England’s victory by a whopping 247 runs.

Brian Lara – 43 boundaries (450 balls)

Brian Lara holds the record for the first player to hit 400 runs in a Test match innings and he was able to do the same against England in rapid time from just 582 balls. His innings featured 43 fours and four sixes. Even though was unable to help West Indies pick up a victory in this match, it still helped him get into the record books as one of the most fours in Test innings by a player.

Mahela Jayawardene – 43 boundaries (582 balls)

Among the several Sri Lankan batsmen who have shined in recent decades, Mahela Jayawardene ranks as one of the most important. The former captain was able to hit a staggering 374 runs from just 572 balls in a Test game against South Africa, which ended in a comfortable inning and 153 run victory for the island nation. Mahela Jayawardene formed a staggering partnership with Kumar Sangakkara, who hit 287 runs. The new combined to put together 78 fours with Jayawardene: contributing 43 boundaries.