5 Indian batsmen with the most fifty-plus ODI scores

Scoring a fifty isn't easy. While it may be made to look like that by some, despite the plethora of balls available (300 to be exact), it isn't easy to score a fifty. However, flat fitches, favorable rules and reducing size of boundaries mean that it has become easier of late.

So it is no surprise to note that of the top five Indian players with most fifty-plus scores in ODIs, three members of the current side feature. None of the three have played more than 300 ODIs, which the rest of the members of this list have.

So who has the most fifty-plus ODI scores for India? Who are the three current players and where do legends such as Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly rank?

Here are the top 5 Indian batsmen with the most fifty-plus ODI scores:

#5 Virat Kohli, Mohammad Azharuddin and Yuvraj Singh

Courtesy of his match-winning century in the second ODI against England, Yuvraj Singh makes it into the top five and joins Virat Kohli, who get here after his century in the first ODI and former Indian captain Mohammad Azharuddin on 65 fifty-plus scores in ODIs for India.

Of the three players, Kohli has got to the tally in the least time (178 innings) while Azharuddin took maximum time (308 innings) to reach it. Yuvraj Singh got there in his 270th innings. While Azharuddin has the least amount of centuries of the trio with seven, Kohli has more than the other two combined (27 to their combined tally of 21).

While Yuvraj and Azhar have at least 50 fifties to their name, Kohli just has 38. But with age on his side, it wouldn't be a huge surprise if Virat Kohli makes his way up this list before too long.

#4 MS Dhoni

Courtesy of his century in the second ODI against England, which was his 10th in ODIs and ninth for India, MS Dhoni joined an elite list of players who have over 70 fifty-plus scores to their name in ODIs. With over 9,000 runs to his name in the format, Dhoni has cemented his legacy as one of the finest in limited-overs and his tally of 70 fifty-plus scores for India (71 overall in ODIs) helps him take fourth spot on this list.

Although he scored his first ODI hundred in over 3 years and has just scored nine for India in his ODI career that has spanned nearly 300 matches, his ability to play crucial knocks has never been in question. And his career ODI average of over 50 and 61 fifties in the format is a testament to just how consistent he has been.

Although the 35-year-old is unlikely to climb any higher on this list, the fact that he even makes this despite batting in the middle-order is a testament to just how good he has been.

#3 Sourav Ganguly

Aside from being an inspirational captain, Sourav Ganguly was also one of India's finest ODI batsmen. His partnership with Sachin Tendulkar at the top of the order is the stuff of dreams and with over 11,000 ODI runs to his name, it is fair to say that his impact on the game went beyond his opening partnerships and captaincy.

Ganguly's tally of 93 fifties in ODIs for India (94 in ODIs overall) give him third place on the list of Indians with most fifty-plus scores in the format. He is the top ten when it comes to most fifties and centuries in ODIs and will go down as one of the finest that the country have ever produced in the shorter formats. More than 20 clear of the player in fourth-place, it is fair to say that Ganguly will be in the top three for a while yet.

#2 Rahul Dravid

Despite being considered as someone who isn't suited for the ODI format, by the time Rahul Dravid called time on his ODI career, only eight players had scored more runs than him in the format. Not only does he have nearly 11,000 runs, only Sachin has more fifty-plus scores by an Indian in ODIs.

Although he scored just 12 ODI tons for India, Dravid's tally of 83 fifties in the format makes him one of only six players to have more than 80 fifties in the format. He has 95 fifties in ODIs but one of them came for Asia XI against International XI in the World Cricket Tsunami Appeal match at Oval in 2005.

Still his tally of 94 fifties for India (95 overall in ODIs) is only bettered by Sachin and just ahead of former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly.

#1 Sachin Tendulkar

When it comes to ODI records, there is just one name that comes to everyone's mind. Sachin Tendulkar holds most records when it comes to ODIs. Most matches, you bet. Most runs, make it easy. Most centuries and fifties, that was easy. So it is no surprise to see that he leads the list of Indians with most fifty-plus scores in ODIs.

He has the most fifties (96) and centuries (49) in ODIs and unsurprisingly his tally of 145 fifty-plus scores is the most by any batsman in the history of the format, not just in ODIs. Only five players have scored more than 80 fifties in ODIs and no player has more than 30 centuries, it is highly unlikely that anyone ever comes close to breaking Sachin's record.

While the fact that he played 463 ODIs certainly did help his cause, his incredible ability to score a fifty is evident from the fact that he almost averaged a fifty every three ODIs throughout his career.