One Day Cricket (ODI) is a traditional and widely loved format of the game that has entertained fans for decades. Introduced as a shorter alternative to Test cricket, ODIs strike a perfect balance between the patience of red-ball cricket and the excitement of T20s. As far as batting performances, we have seen some great batters playing an ODI format, and scoring loads of runs for their respective teams. As Virat Kohli completed 14,000 runs in ODI cricket yesterday (in the India vs Pakistan CT 2025 game), we will talk about the top 5 batsmen with most runs in ODI cricket history. So without wasting any time, let’s begin.
CRICKET RECORDS: Top 5 Batsmen with Most Runs in ODI Cricket
(1) Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Tendulkar is considered as ‘God of Cricket’. He has made his name by performing consistently for the team over the years. Also, his work ethic was inspiring and he has conducted himself well throughout his long international career.
Although he has done well in Test Cricket as well, we are only talking about his ODI cricket numbers. He has won so many games for Team India with his outstanding batting. His batting prowess is there to see for everyone.
Sachin started his ODI career against Pakistan at Jinnah Stadium on December 18, 1989. He got out on a 2-ball duck against Waqar Younis and India lost a low-scoring encounter.
Overall, he has scored 18,426 runs in 463 games (452 innings) with an average of 44.83 and a strike rate of 86.23. He has 49 hundred and 96 fifties to his name in ODI cricket.
The legendary batter also becomes the first player to score a double hundred in ODIs. He has scored 200* against South Africa (SA) in 2010. Sachin played his last ODI against Pakistan at Mirpur on March 18, 2012. Team India won that game by chasing down a target of 330, thanks to Virat Kohli’s 183 runs inning. Sachin also scored 52 runs in that game.
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(2) Kumar Sangakkara
Kumar Sangakkara is the 2nd in the list of top 5 batsmen with most runs in ODI cricket. The Sri Lankan legend used to be a run-machine for the team across formats over the years. He started his ODI career against Pakistan at Galle on July 05, 2000. The left-handed managed to score 35 runs in that game. SL won that game by 5 wickets while chasing a small total of
Sanga looked like an elegant batter with a sound technique. He has all the cricketing shots in his armory and his cover drives were a treat to watch.
He has scored 14,234 runs in ODIs with an average of 41.97 and a strike rate of 78.86. The batter has 25 hundred and 93 fifties in ODI cricket. For a brief period, he has done a wicketkeeping job for SL as well. He has the highest score of 169 in ODIs.
CHECK THE MOST RUNS IN ODI CRICKET RECORDS HERE
(3) Virat Kohli
A ‘King, a ‘Run-Machine, a ‘Chase-Master’, you can call it anything to this guy, or even a few more good things if you know more than the above-mentioned words. Virat Kohli is a modern-day master and an inspiration for this generation of cricketers. He has won a lot of games for Team India across formats.
Virat has led the team from the front when he was the captain. Now, he is doing it as a player as well. Virat Kohli becomes the fastest player to reach 14,000 ODI runs, surpassing Sachin and Sangakkara. He only took 287 innings to reach the milestone. Sachin and Sangakkara took 350 and 378 innings respectively to complete 14,000 ODI runs.
The right-handed batter can chase down big totals, and his match awareness is something he has built over the years.
Overall, he has scored 14,085 runs, 3rd most runs in ODI cricket. He averages 58.20 and has an outstanding strike rate of 93.41. Virat has the most ODI hundreds in the history of this format. He has 51 ODI hundreds, and 73 half-centuries as well.
The legendary batter hasn’t done it yet. He is still playing, and scoring runs, and he is likely to surpass Sangakkara in ODIs. The challenge for him is to surpass or come close to Sachin’s most runs in ODI cricket.
(4) Ricky Ponting
The former Australian skipper was one of the best ODI batters of all time during his era. Known for his magnificent pull and cut shots, Ponting has scored loads of loads of runs in ODI cricket.
He has also won quite a few ICC titles as Australia’s captain. Ponting led the team from the front and scored a lot of runs in those tournaments. In ODIs, he has scored 13,704 runs with an average of 42.03 and a strike rate of 80.39.
His hundred in the ODI WC 2003 Final still haunts the Indian fans. He has 30 hundred and 82 fifties in this format. As far as his highest individual score, he scored 164 against South Africa in 2006. Australia lost that game even after scoring 434 runs.
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(5) Sanath Jayasuriya
He is the 5th batter in the list of most runs in ODI cricket. Known for his pinch-hitting and positive intent, Jayasuriya has won so many games for Sri Lanka. He is one of those rare batsmen in his era who took risks at the beginning and put pressure on the opposition right from the word go.
He has scored 13,430 runs in ODI with an average of 32.36 and an astonishing strike rate of 91.20. Maintaining that kind of strike rate was very hard in that era.
He has 28 hundred and 68 fifties in ODI cricket. Jayasuriya played his last ODI against England at The Oval on June 28, 2011.
CONCLUSION
So these are the top 5 batsmen with most runs in ODI cricket. The list consists of all the legendary batters in ODIs over the years. Who is your favorite from the top 5? Comment your favorite batter in the comment section below.
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