ODI Cricket has mostly been a batters game and as the format has completed more than 50 years it has gotten better for the Batters and they have scored more runs and the quality of batting has also gone up. From the likes of Viv Richards to Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting to AB De Villiers and Virat Kohli, there have been some truly incredible batters.

Let’s look at the Top 10 Greatest ODI Batsmen of all time

1) Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli has just edged past his idol Sachin Tendulkar to become the greatest ODI batter of all time. The change in ranking has taken place in the last 2 months where Virat Kohli showed the world that he is the greatest of all time. Virat Kohli bad scored 13848 Runs in ODIs so far and he has played 292 Matches. He has made these runs at an astounding average of 58.68 across almost 300 ODI Matches. Virat Kohli recently broke the record of Sachin Tendulkar of 49 hundreds in ODIs as he hit his 50th Hundred in the World Cup semi final. Virat Kohli has another 4 years left in him and the runs and Hundreds he will get are limitless.

2) Sachin Tendulkar

He has been the greatest batter in this format for the longest time but he is at number 2 Currently. He holds almost all the other batting records in ODIs. He has played 463 ODIs and he has made 18426 runs which is 4000+ more runs than the second highest run getter. He has made 49 Hundreds in ODI Cricket and he was the first man to hit a double hundred in ODI Cricket. Sachin Tendulkar has made 96 Half centuries as well so a total of 145 scores of over 50 which is 1 in every 3 matches.

3) Kumar Sangakkara

At number 3 is the Sri Lankan great Kumar Sangakkara. He was also in the Top 5 Greatest Test Batsman of all time. He is also the second highest run getter in ODIs as he has made 14234 runs in ODIs. He has made 25 hundreds and 93 half centuries in ODIs which means 118 scores over 50. He had a good average of 44 and he made 26,500 runs in international cricket.

4) Vivian Richards

This list would not be complete without the original master of this format also known as Vivian Richards. He was someone who was the best batter in the world for an entire generation and all the batters looked up to him as to how to play in ODI Cricket. West Indies was such a dominant team in the 1970s and 1980s mainly due to this man. He played 187 ODIs and he scored 6721 runs at an average of 47. He made 11 centuries and he batted at a strike rate of over 90. He has also played one of the greatest ODI Innings of all time when he made 189* against England.

5) Inzamam Ul Haq

The greatest batter for Pakistan in ODI Cricket has to be none other than Inzamam Ul Haq. He was the man who made Pakistan into a great ODI team and he was an important part of the 1992 World Cup winning team. He played 378 ODIs for Pakistan and he scored 11739 runs in those Matches. He made 10 ODI Hundreds and he was in the debate for the best ODI batter in the world for years.

6) AB De Villiers

The great South African batters AB De Villiers is number 6 and he is one of the modern greats of the format. He is one of the few batters who have an average of 53 and a strike rate of 90+. He has played 228 Matches for South Africa and in those Matches he has made 9577 runs. He has scored 25 hundreds for South Africa and he has the record for the fastest hundred in ODI Cricket at 31 balls. He was unable to win a World Cup with South Africa and that was unfortunate.

7) Ricky Ponting

 Ricky Ponting has had a tremendous impact both as a batter and a captain as he is the second ever captain to win back to back ODI World Cups as captain. He has played 375 ODIs for Australia and he has made 13704 runs at an average of 42.03. He has made 30 centuries in ODIs which is the most by an Australian In ODIs. Ricky Ponting also made 82 scores of over 50. He is also the 4th highest run getter in the history of ODI Cricket.

8) Sourav Ganguly

The 3rd batter from India is none other than Sourav Ganguly. He has made an indelible contribution to ODI Cricket in India both as a captain and as a batter. He transferred Indian cricket se a captain and till now all the players he helped groom call him as their captain. He played 311 Matches for India and he scored 11363 runs at an average of 41. He made 22 centuries in ODI Cricket.

9) MS Dhoni

The last 2 places in this list are also players from India. At number 9 is MS Dhoni, he is one of the greatest captains in the history of ODI Cricket but people sleep on his batting because it is one of the best of all time. He has played 350 ODIs in his career. He has made 10773 runs at an amazing average of 50.73 while batting at number 5 and lower for most of his career. He has made 10 hundreds in ODI Cricket and no one will be able to forget his 91* in the final of the 2011 World Cup.

10) Rohit Sharma

The current captain of the Indian team is number 10 in this list and therefore out of the 10 greatest Batsmen in ODI Cricket, 5 are Indians. Rohit Sharma is one of the greatest openers in ODI Cricket history and the last 10 years that he has had have been some of the best for any batter. He has played 262 ODIs and has made 10709 runs. He has an average of 49.12 and he is the only batter in the history of ODI Cricket to hit 3 double hundreds and a highest score in ODI history of 264. He has hit 31 hundreds in ODI Cricket.

Table Representing Top 10 Greatest ODI Batsmen of all time

Also Read: Top 10 Greatest ODI Batsmen of all time