Stats: Most ODI centuries

Even an amateur cricket follower knows that Sachin Tendulkar has scored the most ODI centuries. But who are the batsmen below him in that list? A certain Virat Kohli is climbing the ladder rapidly, but still has a few guys above him to dispose. Here are the batsmen who make up the top 10 ODI centuries list:

Player	Matches	Highest Score	Batting Average	100's	50's
Sachin Tendulkar (IND)	463	200*	44.83	49	96
Ricky Ponting (AUS)	375	164	42.03	30	82
Sanath Jayasuriya (SL)	445	189	32.36	28	68
Sourav Ganguly (IND)	311	183	41.02	22	72
Herschelle Gibbs (SA)	248	175	36.13	21	37
Chris Gayle (WI)	255	153*	37.52	21	45
Saeed Anwar (PAK)	247	194	39.21	20	43
Virat Kohli (IND)	134	183	52.16	19	30
Brian Lara (WI)	299	169	40.48	19	63
Kumar Sangakkara (SL)	374	351	40.36	19	85

1. Sachin Tendulkar (India) The undisputed modern day king is right on top with 49 centuries. He has scored 19 centuries more than his nearest competitor. If he had converted those countless number of 90s he has against his name, then Sachin might have scored double the number of hundreds his nearest rival Ponting made in his career. Apart from the 49 hundreds, Sachin also scored a record 96 half-centuries with a stunning average of almost 45.

2. Ricky Ponting (Australia) The most successful cricketer in the sport’s history is at number 2. The last of his 30 hundreds came against India in a losing cause in the 2011 World Cup quarter-finals. Coming in at 3 on most of occasions, Ponting had the penchant to anchor the innings and accelerate at the right time. He was also a swift runner between the wickets which is very vital in limited overs cricket.

3. Sanath Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka) One of the most feared batsman in world cricket in his prime and one who picked up more than 300 wickets, Sanath Jayasuriya was an ideal one day all-rounder. For someone who started at number 7, he quickly made the transition and became a top order giant who made full use of the fielding restrictions. He scored heavily against India, with one-fourth (7 out of 28) of his hundreds coming against them.

4. Sourav Ganguly (India) One more Indian legend in the top 5, Ganguly scored 22 hundreds in his illustrious ODI career. Sourav stepping down the track to hit a spinner was always a delight to watch. He formed one of the greatest partnerships in the format’s history alongside Sachin at the top of the order. His strike rate though was a modest 73 which is lesser compared to the other names in the top 5.

?5. Herschelle Gibbs (South Africa) With 21 hundreds in 248 matches, the South African opener’s conversion rate is the best among the top 5 players. Among all those hundreds, the 175 he made against Australia during the world record run chase will be the most cherished one for him and for fans worldwide. He is also one among five players in world cricket to have scored three back-to-back one day hundreds. The next five on the list are not separated by many, and it's such a scary though when you realise that just four more hundreds will put Kohli at the 4th spot. Watch out legends!!

*Updated on 10th of June, 2014