Top 10 Players With Most Runs In ODI

ODI (One Day International) is the most popular format of cricket. When the game was started only Test matches would be played but after the introduction of ODI cricket, it became the main format of the game. Many players have dominated the format. Let’s have a look at the top 10 players with the most runs in ODI history. There are 4 Indians, 3 Lankans on the list. 

Sachin Tendulkar

The great batsman of all time Sachin Tendulkar is topping the chart of the most runs in ODI cricket. Sachin had a long career of 23 years (1989-2012) in ODIs. He has almost conquered every year in cricket. He has smashed all the best bowlers around the park-like Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Warne, Muralitharan, McGrath, Lee, Akhtar, etc. He has played the most number of ODI matches in the history of the game and also holds the record of scoring the most number of runs in international cricket. In 463 games, he has accumulated 18426 runs. Sachin’s dream of holding the World Cup came true when India became the champion in 2011.

Kumar Sangakkara

The Srilankan wicket-keeper batsman Kumar Sangakkara is the 2nd highest run-scorer in the history of ODI cricket. He is also the highest run-getter for Sri Lanka across test and ODI formats. The classy batsman has represented Sri Lanka in ODIs for 15 years (2000-2015). He was also a part of the 2007 and 2011 World Cup runners’ Srilankan team. Sangakkara was a reliable batsman, scoring 14234 runs with a captivating average of 41.98. The southpaw hit 93 fifties and 25 centuries in One Day internationals.

Ricky Ponting

Ricky Ponting finds himself in 3rd place in terms of making the most runs in ODI cricket, 13704 runs in 365 matches. He is also the highest run-getter for Australia in both the Test and ODI. He played the ODI format for 17 years (1995-2012). He has led Australia to win 2 World Cups (2003 &2007). He has also the most number of wins as a captain in ODIs (165 out of 230). He has been phenomenal throughout the years and has given many match-winning performances including the 2003 World Cup final century. 

Sanath Jayasuriya 

Sanath Jayasuriya the second Srilankan on the list is the 4th highest run-scorer in ODI (13430). Jayasuriya was known for his aggressive batting. He would start hitting from the beginning, which makes him one of the best openers to ever play the game. He was around for 22 years (1089-2011) in ODI cricket.  In the 90s and early 2000s, every bowler would be nervous during playing against Srilanka, as he would shatter the confidence of any bowler. The swashbuckling opener was part of the 1996 World Cup-winning Srilankan team, he added 221 runs in 6 games.

Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli, the modern-day great batsman, is the 5th highest run-scorer in the history of ODI cricket. He is the best all-format batsman the game has ever seen probably and his stats say it all. Virat Kohli started playing in 2008 in just a span of 12 years he has scored 12898 runs with the best batting average of all time (57.32) in 274 games. in terms of hitting tons, he is in 2nd place after Sachin Tendulkar with 46 hundred. Virat has won many matches single-handedly for India, especially during chasing.

Mahela Jayawardene 

The former Lankan skipper Mahela Jayawardene comes in 5th position on the list of most runs in the 50-over format. He was a very responsible batsman and an architect of the Srilankan batting line up always led the team from the front. He has played ODI cricket for 17 years (1998-2015). Jayawardene wore the Srilankan jersey 448 times in ODI, which is 2nd highest by any player in ODI, and made 12650 runs, including 77 fifties and 19 centuries.

Inzamam-Ul-Haq

The former Pakistani skipper and highest run-scorer in ODIs for Pakistan Inzamam-Ul-Haq cemented his name in the 7th position in scoring the most ODI runs. He was one of the best batsmen the world has ever seen. In his era, Pakistan was a very strong team and used to give tough fights to every team in the world. The veteran player represented Pakistan in ODIs for 16 years (1991-2007) and amassed 11739 runs in 378 games.

Jacques Kallis

Jacques Kallis, the talented all-rounder is the 8th-highest run-scorer in the history of ODI cricket. Kallis has been the best all-rounder of (2000-2010). His ODI career was of 18 years (1996-2014). Apart from amassing over 10k runs, he has grabbed 273 wickets also. He was one of the main players of the South African side. He is definitely one of the best all-rounders of all time. Kallis ended the 1998 Champions Trophy as the highest run-getter.

Sourav Ganguly

Sourav Ganguly, the 3rd Indian on the list, has notched up the 9th most runs in the 50-over format with 11363 runs in 311 matches. Ganguly was called the “God of Offside” for his excellent hitting ability on the offside of the ground. He is someone who changed the face of Indian cricket and rescued the team from collapse in early 2000. The ace batsman has represented India for 15 years (1992-2007) in the ODI format. Ganguly led India to win the 2nd ICC event of India, the 2002 Champions Trophy.

Rahul Dravid

Rahul Dravid is the 10th-highest run-scorer in ODIs. not everyone knows that Dravid was equally a good ODI batsman as Tests. He was one of the best batsmen of his era. He was calm, composed, and a classy player. He has been a great ambassador of the game overall.  His ODI career span was of 15 years (1996-2011). Dravid is one of the players who has scored more than 10000 runs in the ODI and Test.

List Of The Top 10 Players With Most Runs In ODI

Player	Matches	Innings	Runs	Average	Strike Rate	Best	50s	100s
S Tendulkar (IND)	463	452	18426	44.83	86.23	200*	96	49
K Sangakkara (SL)	404	380	14234	41.98	78.86	169	93	25
R Ponting (AUS)	375	365	13704	42.03	80.39	164	82	30
S Jayasuriya (SL)	445	443	13430	32.36	91.20	189	68	28
V Kohli (IND)	274	265	12898	57.32	93.62	183	65	46
M Jayawardene (SL)	448	418	12650	33.37	78.96	144	77	19
I Ul Haq (PAK)	378	350	11739	39.52	74.24	137*	83	10
J Kallis (SA)	328	314	11579	44.36	72.89	139	86	17
S Ganguly (IND)	311	300	11363	41.02	73.70	182	72	22
R Dravid (IND)	344	318	10889	39.16	71.73	153	83	12
MS Dhoni (IND)	350	297	10773	50.57	87.56	183	73	10
C Gayle (WI)	301	294	10480	37.83	87.19	215	54	25
B Lara (WI)	299	289	10405	40.48	79.51	169	63	19
T Dilshan (SL)	330	303	10290	39.27	86.23	161*	47	22