It has been around 51 years since the first ODI was played on the 5th of January 1971 between England and Australia at the MCG. Consequently, Odi Cricket has seen some great players from all over the world having incredible temperament, skill, and techniques scoring tons of runs in their careers in the past as well as the present.

Today, we provide you with the list of top-10 leading run scorers in ODI Cricket as of August 2023.

Top-10 Leading Run-Scorers In ODIs

Sachin Tendulkar

The God of cricket features at no.1 in the list of leading ODI run-scorers of all time. Sachin is a right-handed opening batsman who represented and captained the India cricket team for a long time. Sachin had scored over 18,426 runs in 463 ODIs over a long 23-year period.

He has an average of 44.83 and a Strike Rate of 86.23 in ODI cricket with his best score being 200*. Sachin also has 49 centuries and 96 half-centuries to his name in ODI cricket. The master-blaster was also the leading run-scorer in the 1996 and 2003 ICC World Cup.

Also see: Sachin Tendulkar’s 100 Centuries List

Kumar Sangakkara

Kumar Sangakkara is a legendary Sri Lankan cricketer who played international cricket from 2000 to 2015 for the Sri Lankan national team. Sanga kept wickets and batted at no.3 and also led the team on many occasions including the 2011 ICC World Cup.

He scored 14,234 runs in 404 games at an average of 41.98 and a strike rate of 78.86. Sanga scored 25 centuries and 93 fifties. His best score of 169 came against South Africa in 2013.

Also see: Most Dangerous Batsman in The World

Ricky Ponting

The great Aussie leading run-scorer and batting legend Ricky Ponting occupies the no.3 spot in this list. Ricky is a right-handed attacking batsman who led Australia to consecutive ICC World Cup titles in 2003 and 2007. His pull shot and drives were a treat to watch and he scored a lot of runs in his career with these shots.

He ended up with 13,704 ODI runs in 375 matches with an average of 42.03 and a strike rate of 80.39. He smashed 30 tons including his best score of 164 and 82 fifties in his decorated career.

Sanath Jayasuriya 

Sanath Jayasuriya who played for Srilanka from 1989-2011 revolutionized ODI cricket with his explosive batting back in the day. Opening the innings for the Sri Lankan national team, Sanath scored 13,430 runs at an average of 32.36 in 445 matches.

His ODI career strike rate was above 90 which was a rare thing at that time. His 2nd century came at a strike rate of 206 which was the fastest in history before being broken by Shahid Afridi of Pakistan. Sanath smashed 28 hundreds and 68 fifties in his ODI career, his best score was 189. 

Virat Kohli

The only active cricketer featured in this list is Mr. Virat Kohli, the greatest batsman of the modern era. Virat has already crossed the 12,000 runs mark, with 12,898 runs to his name. He has played only 262 ODIs so far and sits at 6th in the list of leading run scorers of all time.

Virat has an extraordinary average of 57.68 and a strike rate of 92.83 in ODI cricket. He has scored 43 tons and 64 fifties with 183 being his best score. Virat’s numbers only continue to grow day by day. 

Also see: Virat Kohli Double Century List

Mahela Jayawardene

Mahela is the 3rd Sri Lankan featured on this list with 12,650 runs under his belt. He played 448 matches and scored these many runs at an average of 33.37 and a strike rate of 78.96.

Mahela showcased a masterclass of middle-order batting playing with very less risk and also maintaining the scoring rate. He played a crucial role in Sri Lankan cricket’s success from 1998 to 2015. He ended up with 19 centuries and 77 fifties to his name with 144 being his highest.

Inzamam-ul-Haq

Inzamam is the leading run-scorer for Pakistan in ODI cricket. He made his international debut in 1991 and played his last game in 2007. In 378 ODIs, Inzamam accumulated 11,739 runs at an average of 39.52 and a strike rate of 74.24. He managed to bring up 10 centuries and 83 fifties in his playing career and with 137* being his best score. 

Jacques Kallis

 Kallis is the greatest all-rounder in ODI cricket. The South African has not only scored thousands of runs but also has more than 273 ODI wickets in his kitty.

Batting at no.3, Kallis was the backbone of the Proteas’ batting lineup for many years. In 328 ODIs, Kallis scored 11,579 runs at an average of 44.36 and a strike rate of 72.89. In the process, he also smashed 17 tons and 86 half-centuries with his highest score being 139. Kallis retired from cricket in 2014 and is seen in coaching roles currently. 

Sourav Ganguly

Sourav Ganguly aka Dada as he is popularly called is the BCCI President currently. However, he was also a great left-handed batsman who was magnificent through the off-side with his cover drives, cuts, lofts, etc., and also a brilliant captain of the Indian team.

He played 311 ODI in all and managed to score 11,363 runs with the help of 22 centuries and 72 fifties. His ODI average is 41.02 and his strike rate is 73.70. Sourav’s highest score in ODIs is 183.

Rahul Dravid

Rahul Dravid is also known as the wall. He had the best defense in the world making it really difficult for the bowlers to get him out. Though he is the GOAT of test cricket, Dravid had also achieved a lot in ODIs and occupies the no.10 spot in the leading ODI run-getters tally.

In 344 ODIs, Rahul accumulated 10,889 runs at an average of 39.16 and a strike rate of 71.23. Dravid has 12 centuries and 83 fifties to his name in ODI cricket. 153 is Dravid’s highest score in one-dayers.

Conclusion

These were the top-10 leading run-scorers in ODI cricket history. Every batsman featuring on this list had something unique about them, i.e. different styles of play like some are aggressive while some are defensive; different techniques, different shots, and different skill-sets but one thing common that each one of them had is temperament and the hunger to score runs at the highest level of the game.

The post Top-10 Leading Run-Scorers In ODIs appeared first on .