The parameter to judge a batter in ODIs or Tests is with respect to the quantum of runs he scored and the number of centuries he/ she scored in the format. This tally largely reflects on the individual’s contributions to the team’s performance and can ultimately determine the result. A batter who more often scores big runs is a huge asset for his team and we will look at four of the best cricketers in this regard.
The batters who are mentioned here are the epitome of consistency in the ODI format and they have created plenty of records during their stupendous. One of them is leading the century charts in the formats we will see in detail. Here is the list of batters who have scored 30 or more centuries in the ODI format.
Player | Innings | ODI centuries | Career runs |
Virat Kohli (IND) | 283 | 50 | 13906 |
Sachin Tendulkar (IND) | 452 | 49 | 18426 |
Rohit Sharma (IND) | 257 | 30 | 10866 |
Ricky Ponting (AUS) | 365 | 30 | 13704 |
Key Stats
Only four batters in the history of ODI cricket have scored 30 or more centuries, and they are the Indian trio of Virat Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar, Rohit Sharma, followed by Australia’s Ricky Ponting.
It is to be noted that Sachin Tendulkar was holding the ODI century chart for a long time until it was broken by his former teammate Virat Kohli when the latter scored his 50th against New Zealand in the ICC World Cup 2023 Semifinal contest.
Of the 50 ODI tons Virst Kohli has hit in this format, 10 of them came against Sri Lanka and 9 versus West Indies. Similarly, Sachin smashed 11 of his 49 ODI tons against Australia, and the third-highest century scorer, Rohit Sharma also hammered 8 ODI tons versus Australia. The only non-Indian in this elite list, Ricky Ponting incidentally scored 6 tons each against India and New Zealand.
Five other batters had made 25 or more centuries in the ODI format. The legendary Sri Lankan all-rounder Sanath Jayasuriya ended his career just 2 centuries short of joining the elite list, Hashim Amla made 28, while the likes of AB de Villiers, Chris Gayle, and Kumar Sangakkara hammered 25 tons each.
Sachin remains the highest run-scorer in the format followed by Sangakkara who had amassed 14234 runs during his illustrious career. Virat Kohli is the third-highest run-getter as far as ODI cricket is concerned.