Since the arrival of T20 cricket, batters have become more aggressive in ODI cricket too. Today’s generation of cricketers has higher strike rates than batters of the previous era. Therefore, a list of most runs in ODI cricket will help you understand this notion, as mentioned earlier.
So without wasting time, let’s go straight into the topic. Here is the list of the 10 highest run-getters in ODI History:
1. Sachin Tendulkar
The highest runs-getter in the game’s history, Sachin Tendulkar, tops the list of most runs in ODI. Little Masters has scored 18,426 runs in 463 games. Sachin is also the first cricketer to score 200 in ODI cricket. He achieved it against South Africa in just 147 balls at an impressive strike rate of 136.05.
Sachin Tendulkar has the most hundreds (49) and fifties (96) in ODI cricket. His strike rate of 86.23 is immense, considering his peak ODI days were before T20’s arrival. Of all his ODI records, his World Cup 2003 stats (673 runs in 11 innings) stand out of the lot.
2. Kumar Sangakkara
Ever elegant and eye-pleasing, Kumar Sangakkara has scored 14,234 runs in 404 matches. He has scored 25 centuries and second most fifties (93) in his ODI career. He is the only cricketer to score 4 consecutive centuries in ODI World Cup history. He achieved this rare feat in World Cup 2015 against Bangladesh, England, Australia, and Scotland.
3. Ricky Ponting
Three consecutive ODI World Cups winner, Ricky Poting, is third in the list of most runs in ODI. Ponting scored 13,704 runs in 375 matches at a strike rate of 80.39. His captain’s knock of 140* against India in the World Cup Final 2003 helped Australia get a comfortable win.
He is rated the most successful captain ever, as he always led his side from the front in major tournaments. Pull maestro Poting has scored the third most tons (30) in ODI history. An average of 42.03 overall and 45.87 in ODI World Cups shows the caliber of player Ponting was.
4. Sanath Jayasuriya
Aggressive Srilankan legend Jayasuriya has 13,430 runs in 445 games. Although he has a mediocre average (32.36), his strike rate (91.20) truly defines his match-winning ability. When Sanath was sung, every target looked like a cakewalk.
His aggressive starts helped Sri Lanka dominate the 1996 World Cup and thus go on to win it. His career-best 189 off 161 balls came against India in Coca-Cola Champions Trophy Final 2000/01.
5. Virat Kohli
King Kohli is arguably the most incredible limited overs batter of the modern era. He is the fastest batter to score 10,000 ODI runs. Kohli’s astonishing average (57.32) and strike rate (93.62) highlight his ODI stats.
He earned the title: “Chase Master” when he scored 183 off 148 against arch-rivals Pakistan while chasing 330 during Asia Cup 2012. Sensational Kohli has scored 12,898 runs in just 274 matches. This star player is the only current batter in the list of the top 10 batters with the most runs in ODI history.
6. Mahela Jayawardene
Former Sri Lankan skipper Mahela Jayawardene dominated ODI cricket by scoring 12,650 runs in 448 matches. Mahela scored 19 hundreds and 77 fifties in ODI cricket. His best of 144 came in a famous away win against England in 2011. Jayawardene has also played most ODI matches for his country.
7. Inzamam ul Haq
Inzamam first caught the cricketing world’s eye after his match-winning 60 off 37 balls during the 1992 World Cup Semi-final against then-favorites New Zealand. He is the most successful Pakistani batter with 11,739 ODI runs. Lazy elegant Inzamam was not out on 53 occasions and has listed 10 tons and 83 fifties. Inzamam is the only Pakistan batter who crossed the 10,000 mark in ODI cricket.
8. Jacques Kallis
Jacques Kallis, the greatest All-Rounders of all time, is the only South African in this list of most runs in ODI cricket. Kallis scored 11,579 runs in 328 matches. The all-rounder’s average (44.36) is quite extraordinary.
One crucial knock of his career came against Sri Lanka (113 off 100) in Wills International Cup 1998. No doubt, Kallis was quite instrumental to the South African cause!
9. Sourav Ganguly
Stylish Indian Legendary batter Ganguly inspired a generation of cricketers. His ODI runs tally of 11,363 in 311 games is the hallmark of his class. His best of 183 off just 158 balls came against then-defending World Champions Sri Lanka during World Cup 1999.
Ganguly scored a total of 22 tons, along with 72 fifties. He was one of the cleanest timers of the cricket ball, especially towards the off-side. He has a marvelous average of 55.89 in ODI World Cup matches.
10. Rahul Dravid
The Wall, Rahul Dravid, is the final member of this list of the most runs in ODI history. Dravid dominated the middle phase of the innings as a world-class anchor. 10,889 ODI runs in 344 games are his exclusive stats. His solid defense helped him to dominate ODI cricket on any ground in the world.
Out of his 12 centuries, one worth mentioning here is 123 runs against a strong New Zealand side in their home. He is the Indian batter with the second most fifties (83). Rahul Dravid was also the leading runs-getter in World Cup 1999 (461 runs at an average of 65.85).
Here’s the tabular summary of the blog:
| Batter | Country | Span | Matches | Innings | Runs Scored | Highest Score | Average | Strike Rate | 100s | 50s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sachin Tendulkar | India | 1989-2012 | 463 | 452 | 18426 | 200* | 44.83 | 86.23 | 49 | 96 |
| Kumar Sangakkara | Sri Lanka | 2000-2015 | 404 | 380 | 14234 | 169 | 41.98 | 78.86 | 25 | 93 |
| Ricky Ponting | Australia | 1995-2012 | 375 | 365 | 13704 | 164 | 42.03 | 80.39 | 30 | 82 |
| Sanath Jayasuriya | Sri Lanka | 1989-2011 | 445 | 433 | 13430 | 189 | 32.36 | 91.2 | 28 | 68 |
| Virat Kohli | India | 2008-2023 | 274 | 265 | 12898 | 183 | 57.32 | 93.62 | 46 | 65 |
| Mahela Jayawardene | Sri Lanka | 1998-2015 | 448 | 418 | 12650 | 144 | 33.37 | 78.96 | 19 | 77 |
| Inzamam ul Haq | Pakistan | 1991-2007 | 378 | 350 | 11739 | 137* | 39.52 | 74.24 | 10 | 83 |
| Jacques Kallis | South Africa | 1996-2014 | 328 | 314 | 11579 | 139 | 44.36 | 72.89 | 17 | 86 |
| Sourav Ganguly | India | 1992-2007 | 311 | 300 | 11363 | 183 | 41.02 | 73.7 | 22 | 72 |
| Rahul Dravid | India | 1996-2011 | 344 | 318 | 10889 | 153 | 39.16 | 71.23 | 12 | 83 |
Final Verdict
In conclusion, Sachin Tendulkar has the record for the most runs in ODI History. With more than 4000 runs gap, Sangakkara comes second. Among 10 Batters who dominated most runs in the ODI format chart, four are from India, three are from Sri Lanka, and one is from Pakistan, Australia, and South Africa.
There are seven right-handed batters, while rest three are left-handed batters. Virat Kohli has the most majestic average (57.32) and best strike rate (93.62) on this list. He is also the fastest to touch 10,000 runs tally in ODI cricket.
