5 players who have scored ODI centuries against all Test playing nations

Ever since its inception, the ODI format has been the most popular one among all three formats of the game; so much so, that even the marquee event of the sport focuses on ODI cricket. Many players from all around the cricketing world have excelled in 50-over cricket, however, a few among them are in a different league altogether.These men have raised the bar so high that it has become an extremely tall order for those following to achieve. They have done this by creating records that at one point of time did not seem possible. One such record has been that of scoring ODI centuries against each of the Test playing nations.Let’s take a closer look at the 5 batsmen who have completed this incredible feat:

#5 Ricky Ponting (Australia)

Ricky Ponting was the first to achieve this milestone

Opposition	IND	NZL	ENG	SL	SAF	WIN	PAK	ZIM	BAN
No. of 100s	6	6	5	4	2	2	2	1	1

Australia’s champion batsman was a true ace when it came to piling on the records for his team. Throughout his illustrious career, the legendary batsman achieved many milestones in both Test and ODI cricket. Ponting thrived in the 50-over format and some of his records are a proof of this fact.

The amazing Aussie was the first batsman in the history of the ODI game to score a hundred against all the Test playing nations. The feat arrived for Ricky Ponting in the year 2003 in a match against then minnows Bangladesh at Darwin.

He remained the only one to do so until Herschelle Gibbs of South Africa equalled the record in 2005. India was Ricky Ponting’s most favoured opposition alongside New Zealand as he scored six hundreds each against the two teams.

In terms of statistics and records, Ponting is easily the best ODI player of all-time for his country and one of the greatest in world cricket too.

#4 Herschelle Gibbs (South Africa)

Despite not delivering to his potential, Gibbs did notch up a record or two

Opposition	WIN	AUS	ZIM	IND	NZL	ENG	PAK	SL	BAN
No. of 100s	5	3	2	2	2	2	2	1	1

The flamboyant Proteas batsman Herschelle Gibbs may have had a career full of ups and downs, but some of his exploits with the bat made his country proud on many occasions. Gibbs was particularly gifted in the ODI format and played some astonishing knocks throughout his career.

He also has a few records in the 50-over format, one of them being the feat of centuries against all Test playing nations. The hard-hitting batsman reached this milestone more than a decade back in an ODI against England at Cape Town, when he scored exactly 100. Gibbs scored five out of his 21 centuries against West Indies and three against the Aussies.

Although he may not be in the same league as the others who have also achieved this record, Gibbs will certainly go down as a South African great.

#3 Sachin Tendulkar (India)

No one beats the Master Blaster when it comes to records

Opposition	AUS	SL	ZIM	PAK	NZL	SAF	WIN	ENG	BAN
No. of 100s	9	8	5	5	5	5	4	2	1

There is hardly a list of batting records in cricket which does not feature India’s greatest ever batsman, Sachin Tendulkar. In the ODI format, Tendulkar holds more batting records than any other cricketer and this includes the feat of getting hundreds against each Test playing nation.

The master batsman achieved this milestone in the same match where he went on to accomplish staggering feat of 100 international centuries – the Asia Cup encounter against Bangladesh in 2012. This was the only record that had been eluding Sachin for a long time and he finally got it in the year that he retired from the ODI game. The Indian legend loved batting against the Aussies and his nine ODI centuries against them are a proof of this.

Sachin Tendulkar may have put himself on the top of the heap in terms of batting records, but it will be interesting to see if anyone is able to displace him.

#2 Hashim Amla (South Africa)

Hashim Amla has fast cemented his name among the 50-over greats

Opposition	WIN	SL	ZIM	PAK	NZL	IND	ENG	AUS	BAN
No. of 100s	4	3	3	2	2	2	1	1	1

The bearded South African genius has been climbing up the ranks very quickly, particularly in ODI cricket, as he continues to eclipse one record after another. One of the biggest records in his kitty is that of scoring centuries against all Test playing nations in the 50-over format.

He went on to complete this record in November 2014, when he got his first ODI ton against Australia on his team’s tour Down Under. In terms of centuries, Amla has made West Indies suffer the most as he has scored four against them. Next in line are Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe against whom he has three each.

The brisk rate at which Hashim Amla is going, it will be no surprise if he goes on to achieve a few more batting records before he hangs his boots.

#1 Virat Kohli (India)

Kohli celebrates his record-equalling century

Opposition	SL	BAN	WIN	AUS	NZL	PAK	ENG	SAF	ZIM
No. of 100s	6	3	3	3	2	2	2	1	1

The latest entrant to the elite list of batsmen who have scored ODI centuries against all Test playing nations is India’s Virat Kohli. He completed this feat during the recently concluded bilateral ODI series between India and South Africa.

This achievement has put him in the same bracket as the man whose shoes he is currently trying to fill in Team India, Sachin Tendulkar. Six among Kohli’s 23 ODI centuries have come against Sri Lanka, a team he has always excelled against, while thre apiece have come against West Indies, Australia and Bangladesh.

By getting to the milestone, Virat Kohli has already established himself as an ODI great and he is sure to have many more records under his belt by the time he ends his career.